Minimizing the Impact of COVID-19 in a County Jail Environment to Protect a Vulnerable Population

Abstract

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was conflicting information about the spread of the virus. Despite this, early and aggressive protective measures were implemented by a multidisciplinary team within the Riverside County Department of Corrections to mitigate the potential impact of the pandemic on its five county jails. We believe this helped result in a low incidence of severe COVID-19 infections, low rate of spread, and low mortality in these jails, even while local community spread was much higher. With continued pandemic potential of COVID-19 and the possibility of future pandemics, we outline the measures implemented and advocate for an aggressive approach to protect our correctional environment.