Citation

Barnert ES. Pediatrics 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, American Academy of Pediatrics)

DOI

10.1542/peds.2020-1299

PMID

32709736

Abstract

Youth impacted by the US juvenile and adult criminal justice systems are an important, largely overlooked pediatric population at grave risk of devastating consequences from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Correctional facilities have high likelihood of COVID-19 outbreak, portending disproportionate risk and challenges to 3 groups of US children: (1) the 44 000 incarcerated youth,1 (2) the 2.7 million children whose parents are incarcerated,2 and (3) the hundreds of thousands of children whose parents work in correctional settings.3 As multiple correctional facilities become US epicenters for COVID-19, incarcerated youth and youth in contact with adults living or working in corrections have heightened medical risk of contracting COVID-19. Additionally, the susceptibility of jails, prisons, and detention centers to COVID-19 challenges the wellbeing of all children impacted directly or indirectly by the justice system. The COVID-19 correctional health crisis has advocacy and clinical implications for pediatric health professionals, including for providers in community ambulatory and hospitals settings, necessitating urgent action to protect a group of children already known to face significant vulnerabilities...

Keywords: Juvenile justice

Language: en