Pennsylvania corrections officials are offering money to inmates who get the COVID-19 vaccine, a high-stakes attempt to drive up participation for the especially vulnerable population, Spotlight PA reports.

In exchange for receiving both the initial and booster shots, inmates are offered a $25 commissary credit to buy clothing, food, or other items. Of the three state prisons currently offering vaccines to inmates and staff, two report a vaccination rate above 70% — no small feat for a department that, on average, vaccinates just over a quarter of its population for the flu. 

But distrust remains and outbreaks continue at some of the 20 state prisons that still don't have access to the supply.

THE CONTEXT: In the close quarters of prison, the need to stem the pandemic is top priority. 

That urgency, coupled with a general mistrust of prison officials, has led to financial incentives and vaccine ambassadors being deployed. And while it's unlikely the commissary credits are the only reason people in Pennsylvania's prisons are choosing to get vaccinated, it hasn't hurt. 

Heather Lavelle, who is incarcerated at SCI-Muncy, was skeptical that the money would persuade people to get their shots but told Spotlight PA, "[...] as it turns out, it did encourage some people to get it who had no good reason not to.” 

The question now may be whether Pennsylvania's relatively unprecedented experiment should be emulated more widely.

HEAVILY REDACTED: Allegheny County Jail responded to a reporter's request for information about inmate mental health policies with a raft of almost entirely redacted documents, saying further disclosure could lead to individual or institutional harm. But the same request yielded much more in return when made of the other five most populous counties in the state. PublicSource explains why Allegheny County's lack of transparency matters and how it speaks to a pattern.

TAKING VISITORS: Pennsylvania nursing homes are opening their doors to visitors again, with many residents preparing for their first close contact with friends and family since the pandemic began, PennLive reports. Officials acknowledged the hardship of social isolation in updating their visitation guidance last week. More than half of Pennsylvania's 25,000 COVID-19 deaths have involved long-term care residents.

PYLE RETIRES: Nine-term Republican state Rep. Jeff Pyle announced his immediate retirement on Tuesday, saying, "it’s time to now put my health first." Pyle represented parts of Armstrong, Indiana, and Butler counties in the state House and survived kidney cancer in his first term and a stroke last year, the Post-Gazette reports. Pyle's current term was set to end in November 2022. 

GRAND REOPENING: Pennsylvania's Capitol building will reopen to the public Monday for the first time since a December surge in statewide COVID-19 cases. Visitors will be required to wear masks and practice social distancing. There will be no events scheduled inside and a stepped-up police presence following the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., per the Associated Press.