Mitigating COVID-19 Burden in People Experiencing Incarceration: A Systematic Review

People experiencing incarceration (PEI) have poorer COVID-19 clinical outcomes compared with the general population. Many interventions were implemented in incarceration facilities to mitigate the burden of COVID-19. This systematic review seeks to analyze the effectiveness of these interventions. Twenty-two studies were included. Reduction of the incarcerated population/interfacility transfers, cohorting of new and infectious incarcerated people, mass asymptomatic testing (despite often low uptake), hygiene measures, and prioritization of PEI in vaccine policy had some evidence of effectiveness at reducing transmission and risk of COVID-19 in incarceration facilities. Visitation suspension had conflicting evidence of effectiveness. Studies were of low or medium quality. Inadequate control of confounding variables limited the reliability and validity of conclusions drawn. Many studies relied on retrospective, third-party data. Higher quality research is required.