ABSTRACT

South Africa is experiencing the worst outbreak of COVID-19 on the African continent. Amidst many other social and economic pressures facing the country, the surge of coronavirus cases has also disrupted operations in correctional environments. Incarcerated individuals are among the most vulnerable as they are susceptible to infectious disease due to higher rates of chronic and acute illness, close confinement, and overcrowding. Despite the advances in upholding prisoner’s rights by the South African government and the pandemic responses by the Department of Correctional Services, the novelty of this virus exposes the weaknesses in systems ill-equipped to deal with a rapidly growing pandemic. This article chronicles the spread of COVID-19 in South Africa’s correctional system, its response, and continued areas for improvement, highlighting the unique context of South Africa’s history related to corrections and contagion.

摘要

南非正在经历非洲大陆上最严重的COVID-19疫情。在该国面临的许多其他社会和经济压力中，冠状病毒病例激增也扰乱了惩教环境中的行动。由于长期和急性疾病的发生率较高，密闭和人满为患，被监禁的人最容易感染传染病。尽管南非政府在维护囚犯权利方面取得了进步，而惩教局已采取了流行病应对措施，但这种病毒的新颖性暴露了其在应对快速增长的流行病方面装备不足的弱点。本文记录了COVID-19在南非惩教系统中的传播，其应对措施以及需要改进的地方，