PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — As the number of COVID-19 cases increase in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania, the number of infections behind bars is ticking up as well. Advocates want Philadelphia prisons to make staff testing mandatory.
“The way COVID-19 is entering prisons is most likely through prison staff,” said Su Ming Yeh, who runs the Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project.
The group is representing inmates inside the Philadelphia Department of Prisons in an ongoing federal lawsuit.
Currently, the jails have 135 infections — and more than 800 since the pandemic began — yet staff COVID-19 testing is voluntary, and inmates are only tested if they show systems or come in contact with a known infected person.
“What we have proposed is larger based testing of both staff and incarcerated people,” she said.
That proposal is before the judge in the case.
Eric Hill of the local corrections officers union said staff members approve of mandatory testing as long as corrections officers get paid leave if they test positive.
“We believe that there should be full compensation,” Hill said.
When asked about mandatory staff testing, Philadelphia Prisons Commissioner Blanche Carney said they are “exploring that option for testing.”
So far, Philadelphia prisons have reported that one inmate and one staff member have died due to COVID-19.
City Council is expected to host hearings on the prison system at both the city and state levels. Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson will lead those hearings alongside state Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams.
“I have been receiving a significant amount of phone calls and messages on social media from people concerned about their loved ones,” said Johnson. “This is an opportunity for us to examine what we are doing to make sure that our inmates are safe as well as the folks who are working.”
Johnson said the hearing will take a deep dive into the availability of personal protective equipment, testing for staff and inmates, and how inmates are housed. The hearing is expected to take place later this month.