The Church has called for the government to release prisoners from overcrowded prisons in light of the impact the coronavirus outbreak could have within an already overstretched system.
The lead Bishop for prisons in England and Wales, Bishop Richard Moth, of Brighton and Arundel Diocese, asked the government to release inmates “as soon as safely possible”, especially “older or unwell people, pregnant women”, and prisoners considered unlikely to re-offend.
Bishop Moth emphasised that prisoners, who are now isolated from their families and friends due to restrictions intended to limit the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, are “no less deserving of safety and healthcare than anyone else in our society”.
Fifty-five prisoners in 21 English and Welsh prisons have been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus so far, and at least one prisoner has died due to the illness, according to official figures. The prison population in England and Wales contains around 1,800 inmates aged 70 or over, a group considered to be at higher risk of developing life-threatening complications if infected.
A report in 2018 found that 15 per cent of prisoners suffered from respiratory illnesses, partly due to the poor state of repair of many prisons.
Prison overcrowding is seen by some commentators as exacerbating the health risks of a coronavirus outbreak given the limitations it places on effective self-isolation measures. Scotland has one of the highest rates of imprisonment in western Europe, and more than half of prisons and England and Wales are overcrowded.
The Howard League for Penal Reform has warned that these “grossly crowded and insanitary” conditions could lead prisons “to become like 18th-century breeding grounds of disease” under the impact of coronavirus. As of 24 of March visitation rights have been suspended in English and Welsh prisons, and all prisoners not engaged in essential work have been confined to their cells.
In Italy, prison riots after the suspension of visitation rights have led to the deaths of at least 12 inmates.
Bishop Moth also called for Catholics to pray for prisoners, and for everyone affected by the crisis. Given the unstable financial position many recently released inmates are in, he also urged the faithful to support former prisoners through parish initiatives and charities such as the National Emergencies Trust appeal.
Loading ...
