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Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in Pennsylvania, the state has aimed to keep people apart -- to achieve social distancing needed to prevent or slow "community spread."
The challenge of trying to do that when the "community" consists of 44,000 inmates locked in close quarters in 25 state prisons is obvious.
The state Department of Corrections is trying to handle that challenge with a combination of population thinning, an internal quarantine designed to eliminate large groups, segregation of all incoming inmates, a ban on in-person visitation and protective gear and daily screening for employees -- despite which efforts four inmates and eight employees have tested positive as of Friday.
"We're doing what most systems in the country are doing," Corrections Secretary John Wetzel said in a teleconference this week.
The department began "exploring all options" on population thinning from the start.
"No bones about it, part of the response is having less people," Wetzel said. "We're trying to release as many as we have the discretion to."
The efforts have included maximizing use of parole, reviewing cases of those detained on technical parole violations, expediting release of those with completed home plans and reviewing the cases of inmates who've served past their minimum sentences, according to the Department of Corrections website.
At one point this week, the institutional population was down for March by 574 inmates, Wetzel said -- although the department's website on Friday listed 95 as the total reduction for the previous month.
There have been complications, and the department has had to "completely recalibrate" its release strategy, Wetzel said.
Before, there were lots of jobs waiting for inmates coming out, and there were even employer "roundtables" to enhance potential connections, he said.
Now, due to the pandemic, many jobs have vanished.
In the past, an inmate could "hop on a bus and go back home," Wetzel said.
Now, most bus stations are closed, which has led the department to create its own transportation network to ensure that inmates are released in their home areas, he indicated.
The pandemic has also made it more important for inmates to have access to health care after release, and about 70 percent have been signing up for Medicaid, Wetzel said.
With the help of electronic hearings, the parole board has reviewed 94 cases leading to releases, although three board vacancies have prevented more activity, according to Wetzel.
Every month, 270 parole hearings don't take place because the board isn't at capacity, Wetzel said.
The department is trying to get the Senate to confirm a few nominees, he said.
The department has encouraged the board to waive a requirement for some inmates to complete programs in jail, and instead to consider letting them complete those programs in the community, Wetzel said.
Still, there need to be "guardrails" to maximize success after release, including a place to live, a home plan, perhaps a halfway house period, a month's supply of medications and Medicaid -- especially for those who are immunocompromised, Wetzel said.
The department is discussing release strategies with the state district attorneys' association, a victim advocates' organization and the General Assembly, Wetzel said.
Priority is given to the 12,000 inmates considered to be especially vulnerable to the coronavirus, Wetzel indicated.
After a two-week pause during which the system didn't take any new inmates from county jails, it began quarantining all new entries for two weeks at SCI Retreat, which was in the process of closing, to ensure they're not infected before they disperse to prisons where they're assigned, Wetzel said.
"We've turned (SCI Retreat) into a reception facility," he said.
There are separate blocks, so each day's arrivals don't mix with arrivals from any other day, he said.
The internal quarantine in all the prisons began March 29.
"We must take this step to contain the virus to one facility," Wetzel said at the time, according to the website.
That one facility was Phoenix, in Montgomery County, where the outbreak in the state was heaviest at the beginning.
Since the internal quarantine, most "out-of-cell time" takes place on individual housing units, with groups of about 10, to achieve as much social distancing as possible, Wetzel said.
Previously, groups would commonly consist of about 50 inmates, Wetzel said.
Most inmates spend their in-cell time within about 100 square feet with one other person, he said.
Institutions in the mid-state, which tend to be older and to have big housing units, are less amenable to restricting limiting group size, Wetzel said.
All staffers are screened every day they work at the front of their prisons by means of a thermometer and a questionnaire related to contacts with others who may be infected, Wetzel said. There's also been a focus on COVID-19 staff education, he said.
All staffers are wearing masks as they work. That began two weeks ago, Wetzel said.
Those in intake areas and officers on units where there has been a confirmed case are wearing N95 masks, while others are wearing masks of cloth, he said.
Employees who test positive must self-quarantine at home and can't return to work until cleared by a medical professional, according to the website.
In the absence of in-person visitation, the department has increased the availability of video visits for inmates.
There have been more than 5,000 such electronic visits since the coronavirus issues began, with more than 2,000 additional ones scheduled through late April, Wetzel said.
Inmates are getting five free phone calls a week, and some free emails, he said.
The department is also paying attention to the additional mental health needs of inmates, using telehealth visitations and peer support specialists, Wetzel said.
A retired department employee who is a specialist in public health has come back as a consultant to department leaders, Wetzel said.
Because of the pandemic, and despite the efforts of the department, "there's a lot of angst," among both inmates and staff, Wetzel said.
People worry about their families, he said.
The department's approach has included an effort to provide "accurate and timely information," he said.
"Probably more than expected, (the inmates) understand and appreciate the steps we've tried to take," he said.
"Negative incidents" have actually decreased, he said.
"It's us vs. them," he said. "'Them' is the virus."
Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 949-7038.