COVID-19 Incidence and Mortality in Federal and State Prisons

Abstract

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, case and death rates in US prisons substantially exceeded national rates. Prison systems subsequently reported adopting several policies to contain COVID-19 spread, including limiting social interactions, distributing personal protective equipment, and expediting prisoner releases, although failures of infection prevention and control have been documented. We examined COVID-19 cases and deaths among US federal and state prisoners during the first 52 weeks of the pandemic and compared these rates with the overall US population, updating a previously published report analyzing COVID-19 incidence and mortality in prisons through June 6, 2020.