. HARRISBURG â The state Department of Corrections has doubled down on its policy not to always inform families of inmates who are sickened or killed by the coronavirus, saying itâs the responsibility of inmates to ensure their emergency contacts are complete and accurate. Nonprofit organizations and attorneys point to a waiver issued by the federal government in March that gave hospitals the discretion to release such information to family and friends during a public health emergency. But the department said that waiver doesnât apply to prisons. In a post to its website this month, the department said it will only release information to a single person listed as an emergency contact, regardless of whether that person is a family member or ânext of kin,â which is the typical process for authorities to notify a family of a death.