Deck 20: Covid-19 and Prisons: a Perfect Storm of Illness, Isolation, and Inequality

Question 1

Which of the following is not an example of an impact that has been exposed by the pandemic?

A) The fragility of the health system that existed before the outbreak
B) An excessive focus on disease treatment, rather than disease prevention before the pandemic
C) A need for social distancing, limiting contact with others since before the pandemic
D) Existing inequalities and flaws in the broader socioeconomic systems
E) c and d are correct

Answer 1

E

Question 2

Which of the following terms can be described as 'systematic inequalities in health that are deemed unfair or unjust, that is often seen as unnecessary and avoidable'?

A) Health inequities
B) Health concerns
C) Health equities
D) Unjust health
E) Health inequalities

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which one of the following is not a term associated with incarceration in the criminal justice system?

A) Correctional facility
B) Penitentiary
C) Prison
D) Impenitent facility
E) Detention centre

Answer 3

D

Question 4

According to the text, which of the following is not a criminal justice system high-risk population from a public health perspective?

A) Inmates
B) Officers
C) Judges
D) Health professionals
E) None of the above

Question 5

Which one of the following do prisoners not have a higher prevalence of?

A) HIV
B) Cancer
C) Tuberculosis
D) Mental ill-health
E) Negative health outcomes

Question 6

What is referred to by the expression 'epidemiologic pumps"?

A) High-pressure disease reservoirs that help treat viruses and stop the spread into surrounding communities
B) Places with conditions that lead to the rapid multiplication of disease
C) Places with lower susceptibility of infection
D) High-pressure disease reservoirs that spread viruses into surrounding communities
E) b and d are correct

Question 7

Approximately how many people are employed by the Correctional Service Canada (CSC)?

A) Around 18,000 staff
B) Around 180,000 staff
C) Around 8,000 staff
D) Around 10,000 staff
E) Around 80,000 staff

Question 8

Which of the following increases the infection risk for prison staff?

A) Chronic understaffing and a negative attitude by staff who are against self-quarantining when they are having symptoms
B) Chronic understaffing and unstable employment terms that discourage employees from using sick leave to self-quarantine when they are having symptoms
C) Constant health support for staff that encourages staff to self-quarantine when they are having symptoms
D) The staff's own perception of low risk despite the efforts of the prison system to provide stable employment benefits
E) There is very little risk for prison staff to get infected given the efforts of the prison system to provide stable employment benefits

Question 9

Which one of the following has not been an effect of lockdowns caused by COVID-19?

A) A heightened risk of insecurity and crime
B) Gender-based and domestic violence
C) Job losses and company closures
D) Increase in the accessibility of healthcare and other services
E) A decline in physical and psychological wellbeing

Question 10

Which of the following is true about the 2016 Census and the data collected from Correctional Service Canada from the same year?

A) It shows that Indigenous and Black populations in Canada are grossly over-represented in Canadian prisons.
B) It shows that Caucasian populations and non-minorities are underrepresented.
C) It showed a clear representation of the Canadian population as it is present in prisons.
D) It showed that Indigenous and Black populations in Canada are correctly represented in Canadian prisons.
E) It shows that Caucasian populations in Canada are grossly over-represented in Canadian prisons.

Question 11

What is the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for Treatment of Prisoners?

A) A set of rules that provides an ethical framework for policies and interventions involving prisoners
B) A set of considerations that guides practices for prisons and that is particularly important during crisis times such as the pandemic
C) A set of considerations that provides international guidelines for how to treat and imprison suspects of crimes
D) A set of rules that enumerates the basic human rights to which everyone is entitled
E) a and b are correct

Question 12

When was the first Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders held?

A) 1955
B) 2011
C) 1998
D) 2017
E) 1960

Question 13

What is another name given to the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners after its revision in 2015?

A) The Minimum Standards for Treatment of Prisoners
B) The Nelson Mandela Rules
C) The Minimum Rules - Standard for Imprisonment
D) The Imprisonment Rules
E) The Mandela Rules

Question 14

What is celebrated on July 18^th?

A) Nelson Mandela International Day
B) The Minimum Standards for the Treatment of Prisoners
C) The Nelson Mandela Rules
D) The safe treatment of prisoners
E) a and c are correct

Question 15

What are the Mandela Rules set to promote?

A) Humane conditions of imprisonment
B) Raising awareness about prisoners being a continuous part of society
C) Valuing the work of prison staff as an important social service
D) Upholding human rights in prisons
E) All of the above

Question 16

Which one of the following is not one of the aims of the Nelson Mandela Rules?

A) To reintegrate imprisoned individuals back into society after serving time
B) To emphasize prisoners' inherent dignity and value as human beings
C) To direct states and individuals to treat prisoners with respect
D) To preserve the mental and physical well-being of prisoners
E) None of the above

Question 17

The Nelson Mandela Rules are particularly relevant during COVID-19 times for which of the following reasons?

A) They contain a list of 122 rules organized by thematic area to support prisoners at all times.
B) They contain selected rules that pertain to the isolation of prisoners and the maintenance of connections with the outside world, which are relevant disease control strategies.
C) They contain a list of rules that promote solitary confinement, which helps prevent exposure to infections.
D) They contain several rules that emphasize the importance of having a view of outdoor spaces and promote isolation to avoid the spread of disease while maintaining visual exposure to natural environments to promote mental health.
E) b and d are correct

Question 18

Which of the following is not a recommendation from the joint statement made in May 2020 by various UN organizations working in health and human rights?

A) To reduce overcrowding
B) To ensure health, safety and human dignity
C) To ensure access to continued health services
D) To respect human rights, and adhere to United Nations rules and guidance
E) None of the above

Question 19

In the period between March 30 and May 27, 2020, which of the following was not true about prisons in Canada?

A) Three prisons reported an infection rate of over 20% among prisoners.
B) Even though prisoners are at a substantially higher risk of infection, the majority of prisons tested at a lower rate than the general population.
C) 12% of prisons had conducted zero tests.
D) Many prisons routinely tested for Covid infections before any positive cases were discovered to prevent the spread of the disease.
E) Six prisons reported outbreaks in that period.

Question 20

Large-scale releases from prison of people who pose no public-safety risk along with an increase in the use of home confinement are part of which of the following?

A) Decarceration
B) Incarceration
C) Decarnalization
D) Emblazon
E) Decortication

Question 21

Decarceration is seen as a step towards remedying which of the following?

A) Unfair employment terms and benefits for prison staff
B) Systemic mistreatment of prisoners that are found to be guilty of their crimes
C) Systemic racism in the criminal legal system against Black and Indigenous peoples
D) Systemic discrimination in the criminal legal system against prisoners with mental and physical disabilities
E) b and d are correct

Question 22

What happened in prisons between February and April 2020 in Canada?

A) There was a 60% drop in the overall inmate population.
B) There was a 20% increase in the overall inmate population.
C) There was a significant drop in Indigenous and Black inmate populations.
D) There was a 16% drop in the overall inmate population.
E) There was a 12% increase in the overall inmate population.

Question 23

Evidence has shown which of the following about the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on society?

A) It has been an equal opportunity virus.
B) It has disproportionately infected and killed people in poor, racialized, and marginalized communities.
C) COVID-19 control measures in prisons have been effective and important in controlling the infection to protect vulnerable populations and the general public.
D) It has affected all levels of society in Canada and around the world equally.
E) None of the above

Question 24

What is not an example of efforts that must continue to implement basic public health prevention strategies?

A) Continued widespread testing
B) Improvements in basic hygiene and living conditions
C) Increased access to personal protective equipment for staff and prisoners
D) Improvements in healthcare for prisoners
E) None of the above

Question 25

Why does decarceration to continue to be advocated for?

A) It can help address problems within the mass incarceration system from both public health and social justice perspectives.
B) It will be one of the most important ways to combat the spread of COVID-19.
C) It will be one of the most important ways to combat the spread of any future epidemics in prisons and surrounding communities.
D) It will contribute towards addressing systemic racism and health inequities in the criminal justice system that disadvantage Black and Indigenous peoples.
E) All of the above

Question 26

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed profound socioeconomic and health disparities, with the virus's harmful effects disproportionately hitting disadvantaged communities and countries.

Question 27

Prisoners have divisions of space and don't live in proximity to others in facilities, even if their facilities are prone to overcrowding.

Question 28

Prisoners live with limited mobility, in cramped spaces, and with poor access to healthcare and hygiene.

Question 29

Negative health outcomes are reduced by the interplay between health-related prison conditions and a medically vulnerable population.

Question 30

Prisoners have a life-long experience of poor access to healthcare.

Question 31

Because there is a low chance of infection in jails, stopping the virus from spreading is of little concern to prison employees and the broader public.

Question 32

There is the possibility of teleworking for many prison staff, and this means that most of them have fewer chances of being exposed to the virus and getting infected.

Question 33

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought existing health injustices to the forefront and worsened them, particularly within the criminal justice system.

Question 34

COVID-19 has disproportionately affected Black and Indigenous peoples because of systemic racism in mass incarceration systems around the world, including Canada.

Question 35

When people are already deprived of their liberty, seclusion and lockdown have no effects on their rights or accessibility to healthcare.

Question 36

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a Canadian policy that enumerates the basic human rights to which everyone is entitled.

Question 37

The Nelson Mandela Rules provide international guidelines on policies regarding prisoners, and they can be used to guarantee that COVID-19 control measures in prisons are human rights compliant.

Question 38

The Nelson Mandela Rules promote solitary confinement and emphasize the importance of isolation to prevent the spread of disease.

Question 39

Various UN health and human rights organizations issued a united declaration in May 2020 that contained specific public health strategies related to prisoners, such as the release of pre-trial prisoners and the early release of medically vulnerable people and those convicted of minor offences.

Question 40

Maintaining adequate, sanitary living quarters as well as constant, high-quality healthcare for existing ailments are essential for maintaining human dignity.

Question 41

The ideal of the estimated 11 million prisoners worldwide having the same right to health as anyone else is almost a reality given worldwide efforts.

Question 42

Prisons in Canada have been effective in providing masks and hand sanitizer, as well as conducting timely and accurate testing.

Question 43

In Hungary and Latvia, new detainees were confined for a period of time to avoid spreading the virus.

Question 44

For those who cannot afford cash bail, incarceration is used as a noncarceral management for those arrested for suspected offences that do not pose a continuing threat to public safety.

Question 45

There is already strong evidence that decarceration is an ineffective way to control COVID-19 in prisons.

Question 46

Many European countries have implemented sentencing reforms such as early release, sentence postponement, increased electronic surveillance, and house arrests.

Question 47

Controlling COVID-19 in prisons is critical for the protection of a medically susceptible group as well as the wider public.

Question 48

Prisoners' rights should not be abused by extended solitary confinement or other methods that isolate them from the outside world.

Question 49

Vaccination plans don't need to prioritize the prison population, as they are already isolated.

Question 50

What are the health conditions for prisoners and staff within Correctional Service Canada (CSC)? How do these conditions put them at risk for acquiring infectious diseases such as COVID-19?

Question 51

What is meant by an 'epidemiological pump'? How are prisons and correctional facilities at higher risk of being 'epidemiological pumps'?

Question 52

How can public health strategies give rise to human rights violations? How are the rights of prisoners affected by this?

Question 53

Describe table 20.1. What does this represent for Indigenous and Black populations in Canada?

Question 54

What social inequities have come to light with the appearance of the COVID-19 pandemic? How were prisons affected by it and what can be done to prevent disease outbreaks in prisons?

Question 55

What are the 'Nelson Mandela Rules'? How do they protect prisoners? Explain one of these rules.

Question 56

What was the reasoning behind Canadian human rights groups and a current federal prisoner filing a legal challenge against Correctional Service Canada (CSC)? What were the consequences and lessons learned from this experience and the COVID-19 pandemic as a whole?

Question 57

What is your perception of Correctional Service Canada (CSC) when it comes to their treatment of prisoners? What are changes that you would like to see happening?

Question 58

Correctional Service Canada (CSC) has a large number of employees. What are your thoughts on their pre-Covid measures and current circumstances? What do you think should change for them in the near and far future?

Question 59

What do you think of the lessons learned and policies moving forward presented in this chapter? Is there anything that you would do differently if you were in a position to do so?