A legal-realist assessment of the Zimbabwean correctional system response to COVID-19 during state disaster measures
Purpose The first prison system case in Zimbabwe was notified in July 2020 shortly after State declaration of disaster. We conducted a legal-realist assessment of the Zimbabwean correctional system response to COVID-19 during state disaster measures, with a focus on right to health, infectious disea...
Published in: | International Journal of Prisoner Health |
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Online Access: | http://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/16555/ https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/16555/10/A%20legal-realist%20assessment%20of%20the%20Zimbabwean%20correctional%20system%20response%20to%20COVID-19%20during%20state%20disaster%20measures.pdf https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPH-10-2021-0104 |
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ftliverpooljmu:oai:researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk:16555 2023-05-15T13:48:52+02:00 A legal-realist assessment of the Zimbabwean correctional system response to COVID-19 during state disaster measures Van Hout, MC Bigland, C Mariniello, T 2022-04-21 text http://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/16555/ https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/16555/10/A%20legal-realist%20assessment%20of%20the%20Zimbabwean%20correctional%20system%20response%20to%20COVID-19%20during%20state%20disaster%20measures.pdf https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPH-10-2021-0104 en eng Emerald https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/16555/10/A%20legal-realist%20assessment%20of%20the%20Zimbabwean%20correctional%20system%20response%20to%20COVID-19%20during%20state%20disaster%20measures.pdf Van Hout, MC, Bigland, C and Mariniello, T (2022) A legal-realist assessment of the Zimbabwean correctional system response to COVID-19 during state disaster measures. International Journal of Prisoner Health. ISSN 1744-9200 doi:10.1108/IJPH-10-2021-0104 cc_by_nc CC-BY-NC K Law (General) RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine KL Asia and Eurasia Africa Pacific Area and Antarctica Article PeerReviewed 2022 ftliverpooljmu https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPH-10-2021-0104 2022-04-28T22:25:53Z Purpose The first prison system case in Zimbabwe was notified in July 2020 shortly after State declaration of disaster. We conducted a legal-realist assessment of the Zimbabwean correctional system response to COVID-19 during state disaster measures, with a focus on right to health, infectious disease mitigation and the extent to which minimum State obligations complied with human and health rights standards. Design/Methodology/Approach The Zimbabwean correctional system operations during COVID-19 disaster measures are scrutinized using a range of international, African and domestic human rights instruments in relation to the right to health of prisoners. We focused particularly on standards of care, environmental conditions of detention, and right of access to healthcare. Findings Systemic poor standards of detention are observed, where prisoners experience power outages, water shortages and a lack of access to clean drinking water and water for ablution purposes, a severe lack of safe space and adequate ventilation, poor quality food and malnutrition, and a lack of sufficient supply of food, medicines, clothing and bedding. Whilst access to healthcare of prisoners in Zimbabwe has greatly improved in recent times, the standard of care was severely stretched during COVID-19 due to lack of government resourcing and reliance on NGO and faith based organisations to support demand for personal protective equipment (PPE), disinfection products and medicines. Originality Prison conditions in Zimbabwe are conducive to chronic ill health and the spread of many transmissible diseases, not limited to COVID-19. The developed legal-realist account considers whether Zimbabwe had a culture of respect for the rule of law pertinent to human and health rights of those detained during COVID-19 disaster measures, and whether minimum standards of care were upheld. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctica Liverpool John Moores University: LJMU Research Online Pacific International Journal of Prisoner Health |
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Liverpool John Moores University: LJMU Research Online |
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ftliverpooljmu |
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English |
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K Law (General) RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine KL Asia and Eurasia Africa Pacific Area and Antarctica |
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K Law (General) RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine KL Asia and Eurasia Africa Pacific Area and Antarctica Van Hout, MC Bigland, C Mariniello, T A legal-realist assessment of the Zimbabwean correctional system response to COVID-19 during state disaster measures |
topic_facet |
K Law (General) RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine KL Asia and Eurasia Africa Pacific Area and Antarctica |
description |
Purpose The first prison system case in Zimbabwe was notified in July 2020 shortly after State declaration of disaster. We conducted a legal-realist assessment of the Zimbabwean correctional system response to COVID-19 during state disaster measures, with a focus on right to health, infectious disease mitigation and the extent to which minimum State obligations complied with human and health rights standards. Design/Methodology/Approach The Zimbabwean correctional system operations during COVID-19 disaster measures are scrutinized using a range of international, African and domestic human rights instruments in relation to the right to health of prisoners. We focused particularly on standards of care, environmental conditions of detention, and right of access to healthcare. Findings Systemic poor standards of detention are observed, where prisoners experience power outages, water shortages and a lack of access to clean drinking water and water for ablution purposes, a severe lack of safe space and adequate ventilation, poor quality food and malnutrition, and a lack of sufficient supply of food, medicines, clothing and bedding. Whilst access to healthcare of prisoners in Zimbabwe has greatly improved in recent times, the standard of care was severely stretched during COVID-19 due to lack of government resourcing and reliance on NGO and faith based organisations to support demand for personal protective equipment (PPE), disinfection products and medicines. Originality Prison conditions in Zimbabwe are conducive to chronic ill health and the spread of many transmissible diseases, not limited to COVID-19. The developed legal-realist account considers whether Zimbabwe had a culture of respect for the rule of law pertinent to human and health rights of those detained during COVID-19 disaster measures, and whether minimum standards of care were upheld. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Van Hout, MC Bigland, C Mariniello, T |
author_facet |
Van Hout, MC Bigland, C Mariniello, T |
author_sort |
Van Hout, MC |
title |
A legal-realist assessment of the Zimbabwean correctional system response to COVID-19 during state disaster measures |
title_short |
A legal-realist assessment of the Zimbabwean correctional system response to COVID-19 during state disaster measures |
title_full |
A legal-realist assessment of the Zimbabwean correctional system response to COVID-19 during state disaster measures |
title_fullStr |
A legal-realist assessment of the Zimbabwean correctional system response to COVID-19 during state disaster measures |
title_full_unstemmed |
A legal-realist assessment of the Zimbabwean correctional system response to COVID-19 during state disaster measures |
title_sort |
legal-realist assessment of the zimbabwean correctional system response to covid-19 during state disaster measures |
publisher |
Emerald |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
http://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/16555/ https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/16555/10/A%20legal-realist%20assessment%20of%20the%20Zimbabwean%20correctional%20system%20response%20to%20COVID-19%20during%20state%20disaster%20measures.pdf https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPH-10-2021-0104 |
geographic |
Pacific |
geographic_facet |
Pacific |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctica |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctica |
op_relation |
https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/16555/10/A%20legal-realist%20assessment%20of%20the%20Zimbabwean%20correctional%20system%20response%20to%20COVID-19%20during%20state%20disaster%20measures.pdf Van Hout, MC, Bigland, C and Mariniello, T (2022) A legal-realist assessment of the Zimbabwean correctional system response to COVID-19 during state disaster measures. International Journal of Prisoner Health. ISSN 1744-9200 doi:10.1108/IJPH-10-2021-0104 |
op_rights |
cc_by_nc |
op_rightsnorm |
CC-BY-NC |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPH-10-2021-0104 |
container_title |
International Journal of Prisoner Health |
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1766249905959993344 |