During this pandemic crisis, people aren’t sure how to act. It has reached the point where people are fighting for rolls of toilet paper and hand sanitizer, they have even started stealing. The police have been releasing those convicted of petty crimes because COVID-19 has made the correctional system difficult to work.“We’re looking at essential calls for service,” Steve Casstevens, the president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), told ABC News.

 The same problem arises with prisoners getting sick, they have potential of spreading the virus, but I believe if we keep prisoners in their cells and make sure that cells are kept clean then that may help prevent the virus from spreading.

COVID-19 will affect the criminal justice system by making the rules in prisons more strict. If jails and prisons want to prevent the spread of the virus they may have to start bringing the prisoners their meals to the cells, and they might have to stop giving the prisoners outdoor time away from their cells. Overall, this limits the number of contact between the prisoners. It’s sad, but they might have to do it for safety reasons. 

What we can do to stop the virus from spreading in prisons is to quarantine inmates who are showing symptoms or have been in contact with symptomatic people with inmates giving them the medical resources they need for quarantine. 

The best solution for the justice system, and everyone involved, is to be strict on the rules they have and limit the amount of contact needed. There should be no reason to make things worse, it is better to stay safe than to regret it later.