Applying an Indigenous and gender-based lens to the exploration of public health and human rights implications of COVID-19 in Canadian correctional facilities

Abstract

Due to overcrowding and subsequent unavoidable close contact, poor ventilation, and decreased hygiene standards and healthcare services as compared with in the community setting, the prison environment is highly conducive to the transmission of infections, including COVID-19. Physical distancing measures may be difficult to implement without introducing interventions that may violate human rights. Given that Indigenous women represent over 41% of federally incarcerated women, this is a cause for concern. Indigenous women are also more likely to have higher rates of numerous chronic conditions, including respiratory illnesses, substantially increasing vulnerability to COVID-19 complications. This can be exacerbated in prisons as access to healthcare may be limited. Outbreaks within the prison setting can not only overwhelm an already over-stretched healthcare system but also spread to the community and disproportionately impact marginalized communities and populations. In this commentary, we explore the public health and human rights implications of COVID-19 in prisons while calling particular attention to the unique needs and circumstances of incarcerated Indigenous women based on international best practice-based guidance to preventive and responsive measures to COVID-19.