Frieder Dünkel is Professor Emeritus at the Department of Criminology at the University of Greifswald, Germany.

Stefan Harrendorf is Professor of Criminology, Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure and Comparative Criminal Law and Justice at the University of Greifswald, Germany.

Dirk van Zyl Smit is Professor Emeritus of Comparative and International Penal Law at the University of Nottingham, UK, and Professor Emeritus of Criminology at the University of Cape Town, South Africa.

1. Introduction

Frieder Dünkel, Stefan Harrendorf and Dirk van Zyl Smit

National chapters

2. Australia

Lorana Bartels, Thalia Anthony, Felicity Gerry, Andreea Lachsz and Steven Caruana

3. Austria

Walter Hammerschick and Karin Bruckmüller

4. Belgium

Olivia Nederlandt, An-Sofie Vanhouche and Kristel Beyens

5. Brazil

Ellen Rodrigues and Eduardo Khoury

6. Canada

Sandra Bucerius, Rosemary Ricciardelli and Luca Berardi

7. Chile

Alvaro Castro Morales, Guillermo Sanhueza, Julio Cortéz and Violeta Puran

8. China

Spencer Li

9. Colombia, Bolivia, Perú, Argentina

Cesar Valderrama and Juan Hernandez

10. Costa Rica

Carlos Tiffer-Sotomayor and Paola Tiffer Hangen

11. Croatia

Maja Munivrana Vajda and Elizabeta Ivi¿evi¿ Karas

12. Czech Republic

Helena Válková and Jana Hulmáková

13. Denmark

Anette Storgaard and Linda Kjaer Minke

14. England/Wales

Catherine Heard and Nicola Padfield

15. Estonia

Priit Kama and Anneli Soo

16. Finland

Tapio Lappi-Seppälä

17. France

Martine Herzog-Evans

18. Germany

Frieder Dünkel and Christine Morgenstern

19. Greece

Maria Anagnostaki

20. Hungary

Zsuzsanna Juhász

21. India

Madhurima Dhanuka

22. Ireland (including Northern Ireland)

Ciara O'Connell, Mary Rogan, Michelle Martyn and Shadd Maruna

23. Italy

Lorenzo Picotti and Luisa Ravagnani

24. Japan

Kenji Takeuchi and Akinori Otani

25. Kenya

Mercy Deche, Conrad Bosire and Sarah Kinyanjui

26. Latvia

Ilona Kronberga

27. Lithuania

Gintautas Sakalauskas

28. Netherlands

Jolande uit Beijerse and Miranda Boone

29. New Zealand

Alice Mills

30. North Macedonia

Gordana Lažetic and Elena Mujoska-Trpevska

31. Norway

Berit Johnsen

32. Poland

Barbara Städo-Kawecka

33. Portugal

Anabela Miranda Rodriguez and Inês Horta Pinto

34. Romania

Ioan Durnescu and Ioana Mihaela Morar

35. Russia

Sergey Ovchinnikov

36. Scotland

Hannah Graham and Katrina Morrison

37. Serbia

Milan Skuli¿

38. Slovakia

Miroslava Vráblová

39. Slovenia

Danijela Mrhar Preli¿ and Robert Friškovec

40. South Africa

Lukas Muntingh

41. Spain

Josep Cid, Laura Negredo López and Carles Soler

42. Sweden

Lars Håkan Nilsson and Jenny Kärrholm

43. Switzerland

Melanie Wegel and Jonas Weber

44. Turkey

Galma Akdeniz and ¿dil Ayd¿no¿lu

45. USA

James Byrne, Don Hummer, Sabrina S. Rapisarda and Kimberly R. Kras

Comparative chapters

46. International prisoners and the pandemic - Seeking release, improved conditions and family contact before international criminal courts

Roisin Mulgrew

47. International Human Rights and COVID-19 in prisons: Medical isolation and independent oversight

Dirk van Zyl Smit, Roisin Mulgrew

48. Prison population rates before and during the pandemic: lessons from COVID-19 about over-incarceration and its consequences for health

Catherine Heard

49. Summary analysis of the situation in prisons and prison policy during and after the SARS-CoV-2 induced crisis

Frieder Dünkel, Stefan Harrendorf, Dirk van Zyl Smit

50. What could we learn from COVID-19? - a reductionist and penal moderation approach

Frieder Dünkel, Sonja Snacken

The Impact of COVID-19 on Prison Conditions and Penal Policy presents the results of a worldwide exchange of information on the impact of COVID-19 in prisons. It also focuses on the human rights questions that have been raised during the pandemic, relating to the treatment of prisoners in institutions for both juveniles and adults worldwide.
The first part brings together the findings and conclusions of leading prison academics and practitioners, presenting national reports with information on the prison system, prison population rates, how COVID-19 was and is managed in prisons, and its impact on living conditions inside prisons and on reintegration programmes. Forty-four countries are covered - many in Europe, but also Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Perú, Costa Rica, Canada, the USA, Kenya, South Africa, China, India, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. In the second part, thematic chapters concentrate explicitly on the impact of the pandemic on the application of international human rights standards in prisons and on worldwide prison population rates. The book concludes by drawing out the commonalities and diverging practices between jurisdictions, discussing the impact of measures introduced and reflecting on what could be learnt from policies that emerged during the pandemic. Particular attention is paid to whether "reductionist" strategies that emerged during the pandemic can be used to counteract mass incarceration and prison overcrowding in the future.
Although the book reflects the situation until mid 2021, after the second and during the third wave of the pandemic, it is highly relevant to the current situation, as the living conditions in prisons did not change significantly during the following waves, which showed high infection rates (in particular in the general population), but increased vaccination rates, too. In prisons, problems the pandemic raises have an even greater impact than for the general society.
Revealing many notable and interesting changes in prison life and in release programmes, this book is essential reading for students and scholars of penology, criminology, law, sociology and public health. It will also appeal to criminal justice practitioners and policy makers.