COVID-19 and the population deprived of liberty: challenges to professional performance

Abstract

Background:  With the COVID-19 pandemic, several social sectors felt the need to reorganize, among them the prison and socio-educational systems. The work of professionals in these systems has been impacted due to changes in routine, and there have been difficulties in guaranteeing access to health, which have arisen or worsened as a result of this. In view of the demand for information and training, Fiocruz offered the online course Mental Health and Psychosocial Care during COVID-19, which included a module concerning the population deprived of liberty.

Objective:  Understand the main difficulties of health professionals and the impacts of the pandemic on the units.

Method:  Analysis of the interventions made by the participants in two spaces of the course: the forum "Talk to the teacher" and a chat during a live class.

Results:  The main themes involve health outcomes, contact strategies for care and communication, protocols and substitution of penalty/measure. Among the challenges is the recurrence of historical problems prior to the pandemic, such as overcrowding and precarious infrastructure.

Conclusion:  Access to health is not guaranteed, and there is a need for clearer guidelines on standards and the creation of strategies to guarantee this access. It is hoped that this report can contribute with important reflections to the improvement of actions in this area.

Keywords: COVID-19; health; prisons; adolescent; institutionalized