2nd Seoul East Detention Center. News 1
The Ministry of Justice is distributing uninfected prisoners to other correctional facilities as a countermeasure for collective infection of the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19) at the Eastern Detention Center in Seoul. As the number of confirmed prisoners exceeded 1,000 and reached 43.1%, they have now started separating non-infected persons. Minister Chu Mi-ae also announced on the 2nd that the Dongbu Detention Center will be reorganized into a living treatment facility exclusively for confirmed patients, and that inmates who have been negative until the 5th examination will be transferred to other facilities.
[한 달 새 1000명…동부구치소 코로나 재앙 대책 없나]
秋 “The eastern part is dedicated to confirmed cases, non-infected people are transferred to other facilities”
Overcrowding of correctional facilities nationwide, and lack of manpower and budget, almost spreading
“Significant increase in correctional manpower”… Bail, parole, and non-restraint expansion
However, there is a concern among frontline guards that “transport of prisoners will lead to a virus pandemic to correctional facilities nationwide.”
At the end of last month, Mr. A, a prison guard at the eastern detention center, criticized the online correctional staff community at the end of last month, saying, “If you transfer prisoners to other areas, the infection is likely to spread to that area.” In this community, you must certify that you are an incumbent guard by name, affiliation, and internal network ID before you can write. The letter A was deleted as of the 3rd as the wave of the prison guards increased.
How did the Eastern Detention Center corona disaster spread? Graphic = Reporter [email protected]
“Eastern detention center prisoners, all potential infected persons”
The logic against dispersion is that the infection has already spread widely in the eastern detention center, so that the rest of the prisoners, not the confirmed cases, should be viewed as potential infected. It is argued that even a detainee who has been negatively judged is likely to be reversed as a confirmed case in the future. In fact, in the eastern detention center, about 800 cases were changed from negative to positive in the 2nd to 5th total test after 185 confirmed cases were found in the first total inmate test on the 18th of last month.
The reason for the confirmation of the Eastern Detention Center in Seoul = reporter Kim Kyung-jin [email protected]
“All correctional facilities are vulnerable to COVID-19”
Another reason is that other correctional facilities are vulnerable to the spread of Corona 19, as they have the same chronic problems as the eastern detention center, such as lack of correctional personnel, accommodation space, and budget. In particular, regarding the manpower issue, an official at the correctional headquarters of the Ministry of Justice explained that “the correctional officers are hired based on the appropriate number of people for each correctional facility, and since all facilities have exceeded the appropriate level, there is no choice but to lack of correctional officers.” Moreover, with the introduction of various welfare and education programs for the human rights of prisoners, it is said that the amount of work per person for prison guards increases and the shortage of manpower worsens.
Mr. A said, “I hope that the transfer of prisoners should be stopped immediately.” In addition, he urged, “Please fill in correctional personnel on a large scale in correctional facilities across the country.”
Prisoners worrying about’resignation’ for fear of Corona 19
B, a prison guard working in a local prison, said, “All of my colleagues working in various parts of the country are concerned about the risk of infection from the transfer of prisoners to the eastern detention center.” Another prison guard C said, “I don’t want to work as a guard anymore because I have a hard time working and I have to worry about corona infection,” and “I’m looking for a new job.”
Former Dongbu detention center director Song Siyeon told JoongAng Ilbo, “Dongbu detention centers have a typical 3-mil (close, dense, enclosed) structure in the form of a high-rise building, so it may be inevitable to distribute and accommodate them in facilities that are relatively advantageous for quarantine.” “It is necessary to take measures such as largely putting in correctional personnel.”
Corona 19 confirmed cases in correctional facilities = reporter Kim Kyung-jin [email protected]
Promote expansion of parole, suspension of sentence, and bail
The correctional headquarters is taking other measures as well as dispersing the audience. An alternative is to expand parole or suspension of execution for exemplary prisoners. Through consultation with the prosecution and courts, the correctional headquarters is also promoting measures to increase the ratio of unsubscribed investigations instead of arrested investigations, and to activate the’electronic jewelry’ system. Courts are also delaying trials related to the Eastern Detention Center. This is to reduce the number of new inmates as much as possible.
Reporter Minjoong Kim [email protected]