SITUATION OF THE BRAZILIAN JAILED POPULATION DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.
With the world's third largest prison population, the Brazilian prison system represents an imminent threat to public health. The perennial condition of vulnerability to which the population deprived of liberty was worsened during the Covid-19 pandemic - overcrowding, poorly ventilated environments and scarcity of water and hygiene supplies are characteristics of prisons, which, in turn, they promote the proliferation of infectious diseases, such as the Coronavirus, in addition to aggravating pre-existing diseases. Thus, it is urgent to establish effective measures to combat this problem in prisons, in order to preserve the health and rights of inmates. It is a narrative review of literature carried out through a bibliographic research of articles published between 2015 and 2020, through a systematic search covering journals from the databases: MEDLINE via PubMed and SCIELO. For the complementary research, the following were consulted: National Survey of Penitentiary Information (INFOPEN), Department of Penitentiary Administration and resolutions published by the National Council for Criminal and Penitentiary Policy. Seven articles published in periodical journals were selected for full reading, in addition to the complementary material. In order to control the intramural viral spread, the Justice Ministry suspended visits and other socio-educational activities in prisons. However, this isolated measure does not prevent the spread of the virus, as there is a high turnover in penal establishments, in addition to subjecting the inmates to a condition of “double isolation”, which can aggravate psychological problems. So, following the example of several countries, rational extrication was recommended. 30.43% of the prison population is in provisional detention, and, finally, a significant part of these individuals is not sentenced to deprivation of liberty. Therefore, there is an unnecessary overload of the system, which, in the current scenario, is fatal. The recommendation has not been effectively implemented, and as long as there is no adequate isolation space, no other control action will be effective. Meanwhile, the spread of coronavirus in prisons remains on the rise, and despite underreporting and insufficient testing, it has increased by 800% in the past two months. In conclusion, the health crisis in the prison system is not a recent situation, due to the pandemic, but a structural problem, characterized by a series of unconstitutionalities that has been perpetuating for decades. This scenario makes it even more difficult to contain the coronavirus in prisons. Thus, it is urgent that the contingency plan be put into practice, especially the rational extrication, so that, thus, the other measures take effect. The intervention of health professionals through the dissemination of information on the lethality of the disease and the importance of preventive measures, in addition to the online training of public servants on appropriate prophylactic conduct could assist in viral containment. The lethality of Covid-19 in prisons is at least five times higher than for the general population, and, if not contained quickly, can result in a real massacre.
Keywords: prisons, public health, coronavirus, COVID-19, isolation.
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