Lockdown under lockdown? Pandemic, the carceral and COVID-19 in British prisons

Area of Science:

• Criminology
• Public Health
• Sociology

Background:

• The historical relationship between infectious diseases and carceral spaces is complex.
• Foucault's theories on disciplinary power and biopolitics offer a framework for understanding carceral spatial formations.
• The COVID-19 pandemic presented an unprecedented challenge to carceral environments globally.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore potential penal transformations within UK prisons during the early COVID-19 pandemic (March-August 2020).
• To analyze responses to the pandemic within the carceral system through the lens of Foucault's work.
• To identify whether the pandemic led to retrenchment, reworking, or reduction of carceral conditions.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of primary source material from UK prisons during the specified period.
• Application of Foucaultian concepts of disciplinary and biopolitical power.
• Qualitative assessment of proposed and implemented penal strategies.

Main Results:

• The pandemic response in UK prisons leaned towards a "retrenched" or "reworked" carceral state.
• Opportunities for abolition or significant reduction in carceral conditions were largely unmet.
• Carceral spatialities were intensified, increasing the vulnerability of incarcerated populations, referred to as "biological sub-citizens".

Conclusions:

• The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated existing issues within carceral systems, reinforcing the "carceral state."
• The intensification of carceral spatialities during the pandemic heightened the risks for prisoners.
• Urgent re-evaluation of carceral practices is needed to protect vulnerable populations during public health crises.