Prevalence and features of SARS-CoV-2 infection in prisons in Tuscany

BACKGROUND Prisons can be a reservoir for infectious diseases,including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2),due to the very intimate nature of the living spaces and the large number of people forced to share them.AIM To investigate the SARS-CoV-2 epidemiology in prisons,this study evaluated the infection incidence rate in prisoners who underwent nasopharyngeal swabs.METHODS This is an observational cohort study.Data collection included information on prisoners who underwent nasopharyngeal swab testing for SARS-CoV-2 and the results.Nasopharyngeal swab tests for SARS-CoV-2 were performed between 15 February 2021 and 31 May 2021 for prisoners with symptoms and all new arrivals to the facility.Another section included information on the diagnosis of the disease according to the International Classification of Diseases,Ninth Revision,and Clinical Modification.RESULTS Up until the 31 May 2021,79.2%of the prisoner cohort(n=1744)agreed to a nasopharyngeal swab test(n=1381).Of these,1288 were negative(93.3%)and 85 were positive(6.2%).A significant association[relative risk(RR)]was found only for the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection among foreigners compared to Italians[RR=2.4,95%confidence interval(CI):1.2-4.8].A positive association with SARS-CoV-2 infection was also found for inmates with at least one nervous system disorder(RR=4,95%CI:1.8-9.1).The SARS-CoV-2 incidence rate among prisoners is significantly lower than in the general population in Tuscany(standardized incidence ratio 0.7,95%CI:0.6-0.9).CONCLUSION In the prisoner cohort,screening and rapid access to health care for the immigrant population were critical to limiting virus transmission and subsequent morbidity and mortality in this vulnerable population.

Possibilities of Creating Net Zero Carbon Emissions Prisons in the Island of Crete, Greece

An increase in energy efficiency and a reduction of carbon emissions in buildings are prerequisites for mitigating climate change. Public buildings should be energy-refurbished for minimizing their energy use, complying with EU legislation and directives. The creation of net zero carbon emissions prisons in Crete, Greece with reference to the agricultural prison of Agia has been examined. The prison’s capacity is 178 offenders and the annual energy consumption has been estimated at 4000 KWh/prisoner. The use of a solar thermal system for hot water production and a solar-PV system for electricity generation has been proposed for generating the energy required in the prison. Two scenarios have been examined. In the first, the two solar energy systems would generate all the required energy in the prison, while in the second, the two solar energy systems would generate 50% of the annual required energy in the prison, and the rest would be produced by fossil fuels. A tree plantation, either with olive trees or with Eucalyptus trees, would be created for offsetting the carbon emissions due to fossil fuels used in the prison. The surface of the flat plate solar collectors in the solar thermal system has been estimated at 113.9 M2 to 227.8 M2 while its cost is at 34,170€ to 68,340€. The nominal power of the solar-PV system has been estimated at 151.9 KWp to 303.8 KWp while its cost is at 182,280€ to 364,560€. The area of the tree plantation sequestrating 50% of the current CO2 emissions due to fossil fuels use in the prison has been estimated at 14.74 ha for olive trees and at 5.9 ha for Eucalyptus trees. The results indicated that the energy refurbishment in Agia’s agricultural prison in Crete, Greece, in order to zero its annual net carbon emissions, is feasible.

Multidimensional Approach to Suicide Prevention in Jails and Prisons: The Best Defense against Liability Lawsuits

Inmates in jails and prisons are a high-risk group for suicide. Often, legal claims of medical negligence and §1983 based on deliberate indifference by the correctional officials follow. Unique stable and dynamic factors and circumstances and their interaction explain most suicides. A systematic suicide screening using a well-designed suicide screening questionnaire that captures known risk factors will identify most inmates at risk if adequately used. Identification and subsequent mental health assessment set the stage for preventive intervention, monitoring, and treatment of the inmates. A multidimensional suicide prevention program saves not only lives but also the best defense against a liability lawsuit.

Human Rights In Chinese Prisons In the Eye of a Prison Inmate

I’m serving a prison term at the Beijing Prison. It is already more than four years. One day in September 2000, one of my brothers who reside overseas came to see me. In private, he asked me: "Do you have enough to eat? Have you ever been beaten by anybody? Do you do very hard work? Is it cold in winter?" His questions startled me. They showed the unjust reports by foreign media and that made my brother worried about me.

Inmates’Rights Protection in China’s Prisons

Prisons are the State＇s organ for carrying out criminal punishment. Chinese laws require that criminals sentenced to a fixed-term sentence, a life sentence, or to the death penalty with a two-year reprieve should serve their terms in prisons. China＇s high- est judicial administrative organ is the Ministry of Justice whose Bureau of Prison Administration manages the country＇s prisons. According to the levels of prison administration, prisons are divided into three cat- egories. Currently, there is only one prison in category I,

Prisons of Learning——Human rights in the eye of a prisoner

On February 25, 2004, the United States issued its Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2003, distorting the human rights conditions in China, including human rights in Chinese prisons. As a prison inmate in Beijing, I have a say in the human rights conditions in prison based on my personal experience. 1 wrote an article titled "Human Rights in Chinese Prisons in the Eye of a Prison Inmate," which was published in the journal Human Rights (Issue No. 6,2003 of English Edition). Now I’d like to say something about the right to education in Chinese prisons.

Prisons Help Inmates Turn a New Lease in Life

Shandong Province, east China,has reported a recidivist rate of 2.6 percent, meaning that of every 100 convicts jailed for criminal offenses, an average of only 2.6 have committed

Inside High Walls——Prisons in Shanghai and Suzhou

The article is based on a visit to the Tilanqiao, Qingpu and Women's prisons and a juvenile delinquent rehabilitation center in Shanghai and the Suzhou Prison of Jiangsu Province in February 2001 by the author, a graduate student of human rights. She made the trip with a group of experts from China Society for Human Rights Studies.

Human Rights for Detainees in Prisons and Detention Centers

China protects human rights of detainees in the entire process of the judicial system, from the making of law, to the administrationof justice, law enforcement and legal supervision. According to China＇s Constitution, detainees enjoy the following political rights： 1. All the rights that have not been deprived of just like ordinary citizens, including the fight of voting, the right to speech and publication; the fight to human dignity and non-humiliation, the right to non-infringement of personal safety, lawful property right and freedom of religious belief;

How Fujian Prisons Guarantee Human Rights of Inmates

China has accelerated the reform of the prison system. How is the result of the reform? What about the living and studying conditions in the prison? How does the prison correct the inmates? What about the mental state of people serving prison terms? With these and other questions, we came to some prisons in Fujian Province and saw for ourselves. "Sunshine Project" We were told that all the prisons in the province introduced the open prison affairs

HIV Infection in Senegalese Prisons: Prevalence and Associated Factors

HIV/AIDS is a serious health problem among prisoners and constitutes a big challenge for prison administration services, public health services and governments. Aims: Determine the prevalence of HIV infection among prisoners and describe associated factors. Population and Methods: This was a descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study conducted from December 2015 to October 2016. A sample of 600 prisoners was randomly interviewed nationwide. They were selected directly from the sample frame from across the country and proportionally from all sites. Pre-established questionnaires providing information on the sociodemographic and biological characteristics of prisoners were used for the collection of data. Data entry and analysis were performed using EXCEL and SPSS 18 software. Results: The survey was based on a randomised sample of 600 prisoners, 593 of whom accepted blood extraction for the HIV testing. The series was mainly composed of males (89%). The median age was 33 years (18 - 69). The level of education among respondents was 60%. Regarding marital status, the proportion of married prisoners was 51.8%. Almost three-quarters (71.5%) were at their first imprisonment and 51.8% were on preventive detention. The reasons for imprisonment varied and were dominated by drug use (35.3%), while only 4.6% confessed that they continued using drugs while in prison. 97.8% of prisoners have had a sexual experience. Their median age was 19 years at their first sexual intercourse. 20.5% reported using a condom during their first intercourse. Multi partnership was estimated at 17.8%. The prevalence of HIV infection was high among prisoners (2%), the quadruple of the national rate. This prevalence was associated with female sex (4.5%) (p = 0.012) and housewives (12.5%) (p = 0.002). Conclusion: Prisoners are very vulnerable to HIV infection with a high prevalence compared to the national rate, hence the need for the enforcement of effective HIV prevention and care measures in prisons.

Prevalence of Hepatitis B and Associated Factors in the Garoua Central Prison, Cameroon: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major public health problem in Cameroon. Garoua city is the headquarters of the North Region of Cameroon, where the HBV prevalence is among the highest of the country. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of HBsAg carriage and associated factors among persons incarcerated in the Garoua Central Prison. Methods: It was a cross-sectional study conducted from July 1 to July 31, 2023 at the Garoua Central prison. We included all prisoners willing to participate in the study and who gave their verbal consent. We collected data using a pre-established data entry form and we used rapid test for blood screening for HBV surface antigen (HBs Ag) with ELISA confirmation. Data were analyzed using the R® software for Windows. After the univariate analysis, we selected associated variables to HBV infection with p-value p-value was set at 5%. Results: We included 1389 prisoners out of which 97.6% were male. The median age (IQR) of the study population was 28 (23 - 35) years. The median (IQR) duration of incarceration was 12 (6 - 26) months and the mean (±sd) number of incarcerations was 1.24 (±0.6). HBV prevalence was estimated at 14.8% (95% CI: 13.0 - 16.7). Upon uni- and multivariate analysis, no risk factor was significantly associated with viral hepatitis B infection in our study population. Conclusion: The prevalence of Hepatitis B was high in the Garoua Central Prison, but there were no additional risk factors for HBV infection. There is a need to include the Garoua Central Prison and by the way other prisons in the country in the chronic viral hepatitis care program.

Tuberculosis in the Carcinal Environment in Chad Due to the Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Circulante Complex

Tuberculosis (TB) is a serious infectious disease and its control is considered a challenge, particularly among vulnerable populations such as prisoners. The prevalence of TB in prisons is an alarming public health problem in many countries. The aim of this study is to describe the epidemiology of tuberculosis and the strategies for controlling this disease in the Chadian prison population. During the course of our study, the prevalence of tuberculosis in prisons was 9.64%. The age group between 55 years and over (43.33%) was the most represented in this study, and all patients were men with a frequency of 62.66%. The cross-tabulation of Culture_7H9G and Culture_7H9P showed that out of our total positive sample, we found a total of 87 positive strains and 63 negative strains. Our study shows that it is essential to know the prevalence of tuberculosis in all the country’s prisons. Indeed, this can serve as an indication of the need for action in prisons to reduce TB rates, in particular by improving the structure of prison environments, diagnosing new cases quickly and accurately, identifying drug-resistant strains and implementing effective, direct treatment observed in people with tuberculosis.

Plague risk in vulnerable community:assessment of Xenopsylla cheopis susceptibility to insecticides in Malagasy prisons

Background:Prisons in Madagascar are at high risk of plague outbreak.Occurrence of plague epidemic in prisons can cause significant episode of urban plague through the movement of potentially infected humans,rodents and fleas.Rodent and flea controls are essential in plague prevention,by reducing human contact with plague reservoirs and vectors.Insecticide treatment is the key step available for the control of rat fleas which transmit the disease from infected rodents to human.The implementation of an adapted flea control strategy should rely on the insecticide susceptibility status of the targeted population.For the purpose of plague prevention campaign in prisons,we conducted insecticide resistance survey on Xenopsylla cheopis,the rat flea.Methods:Fleas were collected on rats caught in six prisons of Madagascar.They were exposed to insecticide treated filter papers and mortality was recorded following World Health Organization protocol.Results:The fleas collected in the prisons had different resistance patterns,while a high level of resistance to insecticides tested was described in the Antanimora prison,located in the heart of Antananarivo,the capital of Madagascar.Conclusions:This finding is alarming in the context of public health,knowing that the effectiveness of flea control could be jeopardized by insecticide resistance.In order to establish more accurate rat fleas control in prisons,the main recommendations are based on continuous monitoring insecticide susceptibility of flea,insecticide rotation,and the development of a new method for flea control.

Comprehensive AIDS prevention programs in prisons:A review study

Objective:Since prisoners may acquire AIDS and transmit HIV because of highly risky be-haviors,implementation of educational and therapeutic programs is important in decreasing the prevalence of AIDS and transmission of HIV.This study was conducted to recognize different types of interventions and compare their effectiveness regarding prevention of AIDS and its control in prisons.Methods:The ISI,PubMed,Google Scholar,databases were searched with use of“AIDS,”“prison,”“HIV,”and“incarceration”as keywords from January 2000 to March 2017,with ac-cess to free full text and English language as limitations.Related articles,including observational,epidemiological,case,and interventional studies,were extracted and those inconsistent with the study’s goals were excluded.Results:Forty-three studies were finally selected.The effectiveness of interventions related to AIDS prevention and control in prisons was studied.Conclusion:It seems that theory-based studies conducted with stakeholders participation and evaluated summatively are more successful,because they give a sense of ownership.In addition,considering prison as a setting can lead to more success of these programs.

Seroprevalence and Associated Risk Factors of Hepatitis B and C among Inmates of Port Harcourt Maximum Security Custodial Centre

Hepatitis B (HBV) and Hepatitis C (HCV) are significant global public health burdens associated with liver cirrhosis, liver cancer and are responsible for over a million deaths yearly. Prisons and other confined facilities offer opportunities for the acquisition and transmission of infectious diseases such as hepatitis B and C during and after imprisonment. This study aimed to investigate the seroprevalence of Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C as well as their associated risk factors among inmates in the Port Harcourt Maximum Security Custodial Centre. A cross-sectional study was conducted among inmates incarcerated in the Port Harcourt Maximum Security Custodial Centre from July to December 2022, and 200 consenting subjects completed a structured questionnaire in addition to screening for the presence of HBsAg and anti-HCV antibodies. Data generated from this study was represented as frequency and percentages, and inferential statistics were carried out using chi-square with the aid of GraphPad Prism Software Version 9. Statistical significance was defined as a p-value of less than 0.05 at a 95% confidence interval. The seroprevalence of HBV was 4% while 3.5% was recorded for HCV with no cases of co-infections reported. HBV seroprevalence was significantly associated with blood oath and a history of surgery (p p < 0.05). The findings from the current study highlight a relatively lower prevalence of HBV and HCV amongst inmates in Port Harcourt in comparison to studies in Nigeria. These infections can be further controlled by multifaceted approaches by the prison personnel, administration, and Government by employing combative measures such as regular screening, easy access to therapy, awareness, and vaccination programs for HBV are crucial to prevent the transmission of these diseases.

Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors of COVID-19 in an Incarcerated Population Burdened with HIV Infections in Port Harcourt

Background: The burden of COVID-19 and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are some of the major and persistent global health challenges of the twenty-first century. HIV and COVID-19 are expected to overlap in high HIV-burden countries, posing several public health challenges as a result. Prisons are overcrowded, have limited space for social distancing and have inadequate ventilation systems, making it difficult to contain the spread of COVID-19 in addition to the high-risk behaviours of inmates which contribute to the spread of HIV within these facilities. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of COVID-19 among inmates in a prison facility with a relatively high HIV burden in Port Harcourt, Nigeria;investigating potential risk factors and co-infection with HIV. Methodology: The study employed a descriptive cross-sectional study design sampling 200 inmates from the Port Harcourt Maximum Security Custodial Centre from July to December 2022. A well-structured questionnaire was administered via interviews in addition to screening for HIV-1/2 antibodies as well as COVID-19 antigens using rapid diagnostic test kits. Descriptive statistics and chi-square were carried out on the GraphPad Prism 9 software with statistical significance defined as a p-value of less than 0.05 at a 95% confidence interval. Result: The prevalence of HIV from the current study was 6.5%, COVID-19 prevalence was reported to be 12.5% while HIV/COVID-19 co-infection was 1.5% The duration of incarceration, face mask use, frequent visitations and vaccination against COVID-19 were found to be significantly associated with the prevalence of COVID-19 in the studied population (p Conclusion: The current study reports a relatively high prevalence of HIV and COVID-19 among the inmates in the study area. It becomes expedient for the administrators of the correctional facility to properly screen new inmates for COVID-19, quarantine and manage cases, as well as provide them with personal protective equipment such as face masks. In-person visitation should be balanced with measures to prevent the spread of the infection, and mass vaccination campaigns should be promoted. Improving access to HIV screening and therapy for all prisoners should be prioritised to identify and manage the incidence of HIV early, reducing the risk of transmission, mitigating comorbidities and improving health outcomes.

互动的纪录片

事实是这样的：2010年1月12日海地发生里氏7级地震,造成25万死亡,170万人无家可归。一部基于互联网制作、传播的纪录片《亲历海地地震》（Inside the Haiti Earthquake）的呈现是这样的：影片开始,字幕解释说：“《亲历海地地震》这部作品的创作目的是改变人们对灾难救援工作的看法。这不是一个游戏。通过分别扮演一位救援者、一位记者和一位幸存者,你将有机会施展自己的策略，并承担其相应后果。”接着，屏幕上是三个头像，分别代表这三个不同角色。观众可以任选其一，开始自己的“灾区之行”。

Defection or Cooperation—Richard Power’s Moral Insights in Prisoner’s Dilemma

Prisoner’s Dilemma is a master trope for relaying the permanent impasse or dilemma of cooperation versus defection.In Prisoner’s Dilemma Richard Powers narrates a multiform of dilemma mainly narrating Eddie Hobson’s traumatic history,along with Eddie’s attempt to carry out a strategy—Eddie’s ideal Hobstown which is supposed to cope with the confused dilemma.Pow⁃ers’strategic moral insights are revealed by assuming that each player feels sympathy for the other and a moral cooperative instead of antagonistic solution to the Prisoner’s Dilemma will be found.