COVID-19 Conversations: Bryan Stirling on How S.C. Prisons are Managing COVID-19

The Riley Institute’s Center for Critical Issues “brings the world to Furman University” by hosting a diverse roster of speakers on campus each year. While our events are on hold due to COVID-19, The Riley Institute’s Advance Team students are (virtually) bringing notable past speakers into their own homes for thoughtful conversations about the coronavirus’s impact on many facets of life.

Published on August 11, 2020 | Conversation recorded August 3, 2020

Managing a pandemic from inside a prison presents its fair share of complications. How do you manage communal spaces? What can be done about the educational and social programs crucial to the well-being of people who are incarcerated? How do you handle mass testing when results slowly trickle in?

These are all questions that Bryan Stirling, director of the South Carolina Department of Corrections, has given a lot of thought to since March. Earlier this month, he sat down with Advance Team members Zack Bolzan ’22, Megan Litz ’22, and Ethan Johnson ’23 to share his perspective on the challenges that are currently mounting inside the state’s prisons.

Stirling, who was a panelist for the Riley Institute’s StraightTalk series on crime and punishment, is also a Riley Fellow who participated in the institute’s Diversity Leaders Initiative program.

View all COVID-19 Conversations episodes

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this recording are those of the individuals appearing in the video and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Riley Institute or Furman University.