The impact of COVID-19 in Ghana’s Prisons and Correctional Centers

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on socio-economic systems globally. However, it has also provided an opportunity for the restructuring of systems around the world to improve the quality of human life. For example, massive investments are being made to improve healthcare systems globally. Again, there has been an increase in healthcare awareness creation and the institution of new legislations or policy directives to curb the spread of the virus among communities.

In this briefing note on the "Impact of COVID-19 in Ghana’s Prisons and Correctional Centers" authored by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), we argue that special attention needs to be given to confined populations, such as those in prisons and other correctional facilities, thereby drawing attention to the risks COVID-19 poses to prisons and correctional facilities for which physical distancing is often not an option due to overcrowding. COVID-19 prevention and control measures alone may prove insufficient for many prison systems plagued by overcrowding and other systemic challenges.