{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,29]],"date-time":"2026-09-29T16:45:35Z","timestamp":1790700335052,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":40,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,2,14]],"date-time":"2024-02-14T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1707868800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000026","name":"National Institute on Drug Abuse","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["3 UGI DA050072-02S3"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["3 UGI DA050072-02S3"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000026","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS ONE"],"abstract":"<jats:p>For the millions of people incarcerated in United States\u2019 prisons and jails during the COVID-19 pandemic, isolation took many forms, including medical isolation for those sick with COVID-19, quarantine for those potentially exposed, and prolonged facility-wide lockdowns. Incarcerated people\u2019s lived experience of isolation during the pandemic has largely gone undocumented. Through interviews with 48 incarcerated people and 27 staff at two jails and one prison in geographically diverse locations in the United States, we document the implementation of COVID-19 isolation policies from the perspective of those that live and work in carceral settings. Incarcerated people were isolated from social contact, educational programs, employment, and recreation, and lacked clear communication about COVID-19-related protocols. Being isolated, no matter the reason, felt like punishment and was compared to solitary confinement\u2014with resultant long-term, negative impacts on health. Participants detailed isolation policies as disruptive, detrimental to mental health, and dehumanizing for incarcerated people. Findings point to several recommendations for isolation policy in carceral settings. These include integrating healthcare delivery into isolation protocols, preserving social relationships during isolation, promoting bidirectional communication about protocols and their effect between facility leadership and incarcerated people. Most importantly, there is an urgent need to re-evaluate the current approach to the use of isolation in carceral settings and to establish external oversight procedures for its use during pandemics.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0297518","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,2,14]],"date-time":"2024-02-14T18:24:55Z","timestamp":1707935095000},"page":"e0297518","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["\u201cIt\u2019s just us sitting there for 23 hours like we done something wrong\u201d: Isolation, incarceration, and the COVID-19 pandemic"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"19","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4695-5745","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Alana","family":"Rosenberg","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lisa B.","family":"Puglisi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8897-6037","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Kathryn A.","family":"Thomas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5475-560X","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Alexandra A.","family":"Halberstam","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rosemarie A.","family":"Martin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lauren","family":"Brinkley-Rubinstein","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Emily A.","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,2,14]]},"reference":[{"issue":"4","key":"pone.0297518.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"439","DOI":"10.1111\/irv.12819","article-title":"Characterization of community\u2010wide transmission of SARS\u2010CoV\u20102 in congregate living settings and local public health\u2010coordinated response during the initial phase of the COVID\u201019 pandemic","volume":"15","author":"PD Terebuh","year":"2021","journal-title":"Influenza and other respiratory viruses"},{"issue":"18","key":"pone.0297518.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1865","DOI":"10.1001\/jama.2021.17575","article-title":"COVID-19 incidence and mortality in federal and state prisons compared with the US population, April 5, 2020, to April 3, 2021","volume":"326","author":"N Marquez","year":"2021","journal-title":"JAMA"},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0297518.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"206","DOI":"10.1177\/08874034211023572","article-title":"The novel coronavirus and enforcement of the new separate system in prisons","volume":"33","author":"M Klein","year":"2022","journal-title":"Criminal Justice Policy Review"},{"key":"pone.0297518.ref004","unstructured":"Hagan L. 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