Medically Vulnerable and in Prison

There have been some stories about the impact COVID is having on the prison population.  A news station in Denver, CO ran this story a while back, Broncos players join campaign to release medically-vulnerable inmates during pandemic. The ACLU in Colorado has an effort underway to get the Colorado governor to grant clemency to low-risk prisoners.  The sidebar on the ACLU page gives examples of folks in prison who are medically-compromised but likely low risk if released.  The Marshall Project has a state by state list of COVID in prisons, concluding about 20% of prisoners have COVID. The Federal Bureau of Prisons also has information covering COVID in prisons, which includes their modified operations plans. Although in person visits were suspended, a November update indicated those would be resumed, with safeguards. With the latest surges, I expect those will again be suspended. 

And although prisons are "COVID hotspots," prisoners may not be high in priority for the COVID vaccine per a recent article in the Washington Post, Prisons are covid hot spots. But few countries are prioritizing vaccines for inmates.

Since this is the elderlawprof blog, are you wondering what this has to do with Elder Law? Just google "elderly prisoners and covid" and look at the results. Here are a few:

• Supreme Court denies request from geriatric prisoners seeking Covid relief
• COVID-19 and the Compassionate Release of the Elderly, Infirm or High Risk
• Sick, elderly prisoners are at risk for covid-19. A new D.C. law makes it easier for them to seek early release.
• Pandemic underscores need to release more elderly prisoners | COMMENTARY