We post news and comment on federal criminal justice issues, focused primarily on trial and post-conviction matters, legislative initiatives, and sentencing issues.
MOST BOP STAFF ARE REFUSING COVID-19 VACCINES
You’d think that with all of the Federal Bureau of Prisons employees union belly-aching (just about all of art justified) over management fumbles in protecting staff and inmates from COVID-19, correctional officers would be jumping line to get inoculated. But in a nation where people are clamoring for a shot in the arm, at many facilities more than half of the BOP’s employees are turning down the vaccine. (Guess they don’t want Bill Gates’ microchip in their arm, but given how well Windows works on computers, what do they have to fear?)
The BOP has used up 97% of its initial allotment of vaccine, and the results cannot be what the agency hoped for. Most facilities are reporting that not more than half of BOP staff offered the vaccine has agreed to take the vaccine. As a result, inmates have been getting inoculated with vaccines being turned down by staff, reportedly about 4% of the inmate population and 21% of the staff have been vaccinated, leading to journalistic screeds such as this one decrying vaccinated those low-down convicts before honest citizens.
FCI Hazelton’s experience is typical. The facility got 660 doses of vaccine three weeks ago. Only 35% of the prison’s 800 employees agreed to receive the vaccine, with the rest of the doses – which had to be used within a short period of time – distributed to about 10% of the 3,134-inmate population.
The BOP previously planned that inmates would be offered vaccines according to their risk factors in the next distribution of the vaccine. No change to that plan has been announced, but in the last 10 days, the availability of vaccine has become problematical. Politico reported a day ago that “Biden’s team is still trying to locate upwards of 20 million vaccine doses that have been sent to states — a mystery that has hampered plans to speed up the national vaccination effort. They’re searching for new ways to boost production of a vaccine stockpile that they’ve discovered is mostly empty. And they’re nervously eyeing a series of new Covid-19 strains that threaten to derail the response… ‘It’s the Mike Tyson quote: ‘Everybody’s got a plan until they get punched in the mouth,’ said one person with knowledge of the vaccine effort.”
As of yesterday, the BOP reported 2,939 inmate COVID cases (down 18% from the week before) and 1,802 sick staff (down 11%). COVID is still present in 126 facilities. Six more inmates were reported, raising the total to 228. Incidentally, the BOP is now reporting on the number of vaccine doses it has delivered, including the number at each facility.
Vice, COVID-19 Devastated Prisons. Now Some Inside Don’t Want the Vaccine (January 29, 2021)
WLS-TV, Inmates getting COVID-19 vaccine while millions struggle to get appointment for shot (January 22, 2021)
WV News, Hazelton warden says employees, inmates vaccinated (January 30, 2021)
Politico, ‘It’s a mess’: Biden’s first 10 days dominated by vaccine mysteries (January 30, 2021)
– Thomas L. Root