Correctional Facilities Report Zero COVID Cases for a Month... Ministry of Justice to Increase Visitations

Concerns Over Nationwide Spread Not Subsiding... "Emergency Response Team to Operate Next Week, Strengthening Quarantine System"

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] The number of visits and meetings at correctional facilities nationwide, which had been restricted due to COVID-19 cluster infections, will be expanded. This is because no COVID-19 cases have been reported within correctional facilities for a month, and the vaccination rate among staff is approaching 95%. However, to prevent a second Dongbu Detention Center incident, a separate 'COVID-19 Correctional Facility Emergency Response Team' will be formed to further strengthen the quarantine system.

According to the legal community on the 14th, the Ministry of Justice has decided to change the correctional facility visitation system, which had been operated in 4 stages, to 5 stages, and from the 17th, increase the number of visits allowed at each stage.

First, the previously integrated Stage 1 and Stage 1.5 will be separated. Accordingly, the number of visits for pretrial detainees and S1-level inmates at correctional facilities in the Jeonnam area, where Stage 1 is applied according to the social distancing level operated by local governments, will increase from 2 to 4 times.

In other regions where Stage 1.5 is applied, excluding Jeonnam and the metropolitan area, pretrial detainees and S1-level inmates can have visits 3 times a week, while S2 to S4-level inmates can have differentiated visits ranging from 6 to 4 times per month.

In the metropolitan area including Seoul, which is operating under Stage 2, pretrial detainees and S1-level inmates are allowed visits twice a week, and S2 to S4-level inmates 5 to 3 times per month, respectively. Considering that previously visits were only allowed once a week or once every two weeks, this is a significant relaxation. A Ministry of Justice official explained, "This measure was taken considering the protection of inmates' human rights and comprehensively judging the COVID-19 patients within correctional facilities, government quarantine measures, and the trend of increasing confirmed cases."

In fact, no COVID-19 cases have been reported within correctional facilities for a month since the last case on the 15th of last month involving a newly transferred inmate at Jinju Prison. The staff member who tested positive two days later was responsible for that inmate. Since newly transferred inmates after the Dongbu Detention Center incident are required to undergo a mandatory two-week quarantine period, the risk of cluster infections has significantly decreased.

The fact that 94% of eligible staff and inmates nationwide have completed vaccination also influenced the easing of visitation restrictions. As of the end of last month, among a total of 15,971 correctional officers and public workers nationwide, 15,314 consented to vaccination, and 377 inmates aged 75 or older, who are vulnerable to immunity, began vaccination. A total of 14,971 staff and 242 inmates have completed vaccination. The remaining unvaccinated individuals were due to leave of absence or concerns about side effects during the screening process.

However, considering that COVID-19 cases are not decreasing nationwide, the Ministry of Justice has decided to further strengthen the quarantine system. This is why the 'COVID-19 Correctional Facility Emergency Response Team' directly under the Vice Minister will begin full operation from next week. The specialized team will take over the COVID-19 quarantine measures that had been centered on the medical department, overseeing the entire correctional facility quarantine system as well as vaccine management. A correctional headquarters official stated, "We will further strengthen management of factors causing infections within correctional facilities, such as transferred inmates and commuting staff, and establish a quarantine system that guarantees inmates' human rights."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.