On December 22, 2020, the Corrections Information Council (CIC) visited the Department of Corrections (DOC) for a site visit. This visit was premised upon DOC residents being placed on a “medical stay in-place” since March of 2020. The medical stay in-place is a safety precaution in response to COVID-19, which means inmates are locked in their cells for 23 hours a day to minimize the potential spread of COVID-19. Residents are normally allowed out of their cells several hours a day for recreation, showers, phone calls, and programming, but since the medical stay in-place - residents have been restricted to their cells, and they receive one hour per day to shower and use the phones.

The CIC thanks the DC Department of Corrections central office and staff, CIC staff and board members, and the incarcerated DC residents and their families who have contributed to this report.