Prisons and prisons are in desperate need of vaccines to protect everyone else in Colorado

At a press conference on Tuesday, the Governor, along with other collective living facilities, boldly announced that he would revise his vaccine distribution plan so that prison facilities would not be considered a COVID-19 vaccination priority. I don’t think the governor understands the larger context and how dangerous this decision can be.

Vaccines are as strategic as possible to ensure the health of critical workers, reduce and prioritize infections in high-infection environments, rather than the question of who is “suitable” to receive the vaccine. Is a way to deploy to the most vulnerable individuals due to age or underlying medical condition.

More than 4,300 imprisoned people test positive for COVID, which accounts for 30% of the total adult prison population, and that number is skyrocketing. In this regard, if the population of the entire state has an infection rate of 30%, it would be over 1.3 million instead of 236,000.

Currently, 18 prison facilities are experiencing COVID, and people in prisons are being blocked in cell as a desperate measure to reduce infection. They are unable to work in the laundry or kitchen and their general manipulation tasks must be backfilled by prison staff. However, more than 500 Colorado Correctional Office staff are currently absent from work because they have been infected or quarantined due to direct exposure. This number just doubled last month. And those numbers will continue to grow.

The shortage of staff is serious, jeopardizing the ability to maintain basic prison operations, and the DOC is struggling to hire temporary workers. Their staff shortage is the largest of all clinical and medical staff, with an infection rate of 30%, adding an additional burden to the medical system in areas that are already struggling, especially in rural areas where most of the prisons are located. It is guaranteed to take. There is.

Prisons, like other collective living environments, have a much higher transmission rate due to the high population density of living together with little or no ability to distance themselves or other precautions. I am.

Maybe Police doesn’t care about people in jail. He is consistent about it. However, he needs to pay attention to the prison system on the verge of collapse, as most of the prisons are blocked, the COVID infection rate of inmates is 30%, and they cannot continue to function due to severe staff shortages. He needs to care about the DOC staff and his family. He should pay attention to the local health system. And he should be aware that hundreds of people are released from prison each month and they resume their normal lives, such as going home to grocery shopping and work.

From a press conference, it’s clear that Denver Post columnist and district attorney George Browler’s recent opposition to the governor’s vaccine distribution program has caused a change in his mind. But Brawler doesn’t understand the big picture either, and his opinion shouldn’t be that important.

In addition to oversimplifying complex issues as usual, Brawler named three black men in prison when he learned that whites were the largest group in prison. I called it. He mentions rapists, murderers, and traffickers, but the most common crime that someone can put in jail is drug crime. But Browler knows that too. Maybe he’s just trying to manipulate public opinion, or he’s just manipulating public opinion.

Currently, there isn’t much silver lining, but at least residents of the 18th Jurisdiction are looking forward to a new district attorney who appreciates the term limit and hopes he isn’t too fluent to arouse fear.

Governor Police should follow his original vaccination distribution plan, including prioritizing vaccination of people in prison with others in a dense rally environment. It will be in line with the best medical practice and public security.

Christie Donner is Secretary-General and Juston Cooper is Deputy Director-General of the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Union, a community-based organization that has been working to eradicate mass imprisonment for over 20 years.

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