Article 13: Deciphering the Impact of Protocols and Practices during Public Health Crises Through the Perspectives of Prison Staff and Residents in Two Politically Distinct US States

https://doi.org/10.65264/YABZ5382

Multidisciplinary research has increasingly examined how correctional institutions respond to infectious disease outbreaks during public health emergencies. Although prior research documents many operational challenges, few studies examine how political and organizational contexts shape the implementation and interpretation of correctional health policies. To address this gap, this study analyzes qualitative interviews with 68 correctional staff and 196 incarcerated residents across four men's state prisons located in one politically conservative and one politically progressive U.S. state. While both prison systems implemented similar mitigation strategies, including lockdowns, visitation restrictions, quarantine, masking, and vaccination initiatives, participants described notable differences in how these policies were experienced. Residents in progressive prisons emphasized procedural fairness, transparency, and consistent policy enforcement, whereas those in conservative prisons more often interpreted similar restrictions as evidence of institutional strain, staffing shortages, and limited organizational capacity. Across both systems, participants identified inconsistent communication, evolving guidance, staffing shortages, and limited preparedness, alongside unintended consequences including social isolation, reduced family contact, diminished trust in institutional healthcare, and expanded institutional control. These findings suggest that effective correctional emergency planning must extend beyond disease containment by strengthening preparedness, staffing resilience, transparent communication, and opportunities for family contact while recognizing that political and organizational contexts shape how emergency policies are implemented and experienced.

Keywords: Prisons, Correctional health, Public health emergency, Political culture