Penal pandemic: A comparative study on COVID-19 pandemic experiences in Southeast Asian prisons to inform future pandemic preparedness

• In Event: PWG - Healthcare needs and the integration of public health into correctional systems

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed significant gaps in pandemic preparedness within Southeast Asian prisons—an area largely overlooked in existing research. This presentation shares findings from a pioneering comparative study examining how state democracy, capacity, resilience, and multilateral cooperation influenced pandemic preparedness in prisons across Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand—countries with incarceration rates exceeding global averages.

Through cross-national policy analysis, econometric assessments of expenditure shifts, and interviews with policymakers, we explore how variations in state democracy shaped prison governance, agenda-setting, and resource allocation during the COVID-19 crisis. Additionally, we assess state capacity and resilience in managing the pandemic within prisons, including receptivity to multilateral cooperation and the enduring legacies of these dynamics. Our study extracts key lessons to inform future pandemic preparedness strategies.

By integrating sociopolitical perspectives with health considerations, this research provides a meso- and micro-level analysis of how penal policies are shaped and experienced by criminal justice policymakers. We present clear, actionable recommendations at local, regional, and national levels. These insights aim to enhance the well-being of diverse and vulnerable individuals under penal supervision, as well as the prison workforce across these countries.

Authors

• Nasrul Ismail, University of Bristol, United Kingdom

• Thaatchaayini Kananatu, Monash University Malaysia

• Pitch Pongsawat, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand

• Elmer Soriano, Civika Asian Development Academy