Massachusetts prisoners had a special chance to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The Department of Corrections (DOC) said in a memo that if they receive all doses, watch and read instructional materials and send a form for acceptance, they could shorten their sentences.
Massachusetts prisoners could shorten their sentence
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - APRIL 09: A sign pleading for help hangs in a window at the Cook County jail complex on April 09, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois. With nearly 400 cases of COVID-19 having been diagnosed among the inmates and employees, the jail is nation’s largest-known source of coronavirus infections.
A Massachusetts law states that inmates are "eligible to receive sentences deductions and completion credits if they will participate in and complete programs and activities."
In a January 28 memo addressed to prisoners, the Department of Correction Commissioner Carol A. Mici described the incentives as "earned good time" (EGT), CNN reported.
According to the memo, prisoners who complete the measures required could earn a total of seven and a half days of EGT. Mici wrote, "I have determined that receiving the COVID-19 vaccine is significantly valuable to rehabilitation and will therefore be offering Earned Good Time."
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Prisons are still the hot spots for COVID-19
Massachusetts is one of only a few states in Phase One of the vaccination delivery rollouts that includes prisoners. As of January 28, more than 3,500 DOC inmates received the vaccine when the memo was sent out, Mici wrote.
Since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, jails became hot sites for coronavirus infection. According to the Covid Prison Project that tracks COVID-19 in correctional institutions across the U.S., there are 368,271 COVID-19 cases and 2,256 deaths in jail to date.
Last month, the assistant professor of social medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and co-founder of the project, Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein, told CNN, "If we just purely look at the epidemiology of COVID-19 where the outbreaks have been, it's hard to ignore prisons andd jails who have been the epicenter in many ways."
In December, over 480 health professionals signed an open letter urging the CDC advisory group to prioritize vaccines for incarcerated communities.
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Governor Baker rescinded the announcement
However, prisoners at the Massachusetts Department of Correction will no longer be entitled to get a week off their jail term through receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, as per CBS Boston.
The announcement made by Commissioner Carol Mici in a letter to inmates was rescinded on Wednesday by Governor Charlie Baker.
A spokeswoman for Baker said in an email to WBZ-TV on Wednesday night, "When the Governor's Office knew the memo, the decision was made to rescind it as the memo was inconsistent with the Administration's policies regarding reduced prison terms."
"In densely populated settings, these facilities are prioritized because they serve vulnerable populations," Governor Baker said of prisons and other congregational care facilities.
Since December, prisoners have been given educational videos about the COVID-19 vaccine, including a dialogue with Rev. Gloria White-Hammond, Rev. Liz Walker, and Dr. Anthony Fauci discussing vaccine and healthcare sector skepticism.
