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nologies that can potentially revolutionize the way jails 10 minutes, rerouting calls to another center in the brief
approach infection prevention. Better yet, federal and interim. This is just one example of how UV-C disinfec-
state COVID-19 relief funds, along with commissary/ tion technology can be critical in helping jails continue
inmate betterment funds and grants, have made these their important work, uninterrupted.
technologies more affordable than ever. As an added bonus, some UV-C devices feature
built-in smart device connectivity that allows facilities
UV-C Disinfection to track and report disinfection activity, eliminating reli-
Manual chemical disinfection—the process of wiping ance on error-prone human reporting.
down surfaces with chemical disinfectants—is by far
the most common method of disinfection, so it’s no sur- Contact Tracing
prise that many jails rely on it. But it is useless against Contact tracing is especially important in jails, since
airborne pathogens (a major mode of disease spread), high turnover of inmates increases the risk of expo-
and some studies suggest this method kills only 50% sure and spread. When an individual tests positive for
of pathogens on a given surface (Hebden & Fauerbach, COVID-19 or shows symptoms, internal contact-tracing
2019). To make matters worse, manual disinfection programs should locate every recent contact in the facil-
requires heavy use of toxic chemicals that can have seri- ity and isolate those individuals. Traditionally, such a
ous health consequences for both inmates and correc- program would rely on human memory, and perhaps
tional staff over both the short and long term. CCTV footage. However, emergent technological solu-
To address efficacy issues with manual disinfection, tions could change that, offering a much richer trail of
some jails use electrostatic spraying, which involves an individual’s movements and activities.
aerosolizing chemical disinfectants. Unfortunately this In light of COVID-19, many companies that previ-
method is more cumbersome and poses greater risks ously made tracking devices for use in manufacturing
than manual disinfection—such as toxic chemical inha- are pivoting to contact tracing. They are launching
lation if janitorial staff are not wearing required PPE. wearable devices that record instances of close contact
UV-C disinfection leverages a specific wavelength of
ultraviolet light to destroy the genetic makeup of bac-
teria and viruses. This method is both safer and more
effective than chemical disinfection. And UV-C disin-
fection is proven to destroy up to 99.99% of pathogens
on surfaces and in the air, without the use of harmful
chemicals (Bioscience Laboratories, Inc., 2020). What’s
more, it is fast—some UV systems can disinfect a 1,000
square foot room in just 7 minutes. These are among the
many reasons the best hospital systems have relied on
UV-C to reduce risk of HAIs for decades. Unfortunately,
hospital-grade units have historically been cost-prohibi-
tive for most organizations outside of a major hospital.
Because the COVID-19 pandemic has placed a
greater emphasis on the need for the best infection-pre-
vention tools and technologies, industry newcomers are
making hospital-grade UV-C systems accessible to the
mass market for the first time. Adding to this solution’s
affordability, jails can purchase germicidal UV-C units
with COVID-19 relief funding at no additional cost to
taxpayers. These units are a shrewd investment. Over
the long term, they can actually lower operating costs,
since higher efficacy and efficiency means fewer staff
sick days, lower labor costs, and less money spent on
chemical disinfectants.
The Wabash County Sheriff’s Office in Illinois is one
of many correctional facilities to deploy UV-C devices
to disinfect the county’s jail, call center, offices, and
other spaces. In one instance, after an employee at the
911 call center tested positive for COVID-19, the office
used UV-C to disinfect and reopen the call center in just

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