Pandemic management

Abstract Infectious diseases have long posed risks to the health of people in jails and prisons. A combination of risk factors, including overcrowding and confined spaces, predispose many jails and prisons to the spread of infectious disease. The emergence of a pandemic poses additional challenges related not only to infectious disease but also to the mental well-being of people in jails and prisons. With a focus on the recent COVID-19 pandemic, this chapter explores the mental health implications of a pandemic for people inside jails and prisons, including deterioration of mental health, barriers to providing mental health services, and opportunities for providing care in these contexts. Scholars have warned that greater global interconnectedness may increase risks of future pandemics, and this chapter also examines strategies moving forward for addressing the mental health needs of people in jails and prisons within the context of the ever-present threat of infectious disease outbreaks. In particular, the devastating effects of contagion behind bars reinforce the need to reduce unnecessary use of incarceration in the United States and beyond.