A State-by-State Look at Coronavirus in Prisons

We are collecting data on COVID-19 infections in state and federal prisons. See how the virus has affected correctional facilities where you live.

0

Prisoner Case

By July 14, at least 64,119 people in prison had tested positive for the illness, a 13 percent increase from the week before.

New cases among prisoners reached an all-time high this week after slowing down in June. The growth was driven by big jumps in prisoners testing positive in Texas, California, and the federal Bureau of Prisons as well as outbreaks in Idaho, Iowa, Oregon, and South Carolina.

Cases first peaked in late April, when states such as Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, and Texas began mass testing of prisoners. Those initiatives suggested that coronavirus had been circulating among people without symptoms in much greater numbers than previously known.

Deaths

The first known COVID-19 death of a prisoner was in Georgia when Anthony Cheek died on March 26. Cheek, who was 49 years old, had been held in Lee State Prison near Albany, a hotspot for the disease. Since then, at least 680 other prisoners have died of coronavirus-related causes. By July 14, the total number of deaths had risen by 5 percent in a week.

Total Case

0

of coronavirus reported among prisoners. 40,528 prisoners have recovered.
Total deaths

0

from coronavirus reported among prisoners.
Texas 12,071 861
Federal 8,896 516
California 6,458 545
Ohio 5,082 1,042
Michigan 3,801 1,009
Arkansas 3,482 1,915
Tennessee 3,186 1,506
New Jersey 2,892 1,598
Florida 2,632 287
Virginia 1,530 536
Connecticut 1,346
Georgia 1,064 194
North Carolina 1,052 311
Kansas 910 920
Indiana 728 271
Idaho 694 908
Colorado 668 384
Louisiana 663 210
Maryland 628 334
Kentucky 624 530
Arizona 569 137
South Carolina 563 317
New York 545 127
New Mexico 467 709
Massachusetts 391 478
Minnesota 390 452
Illinois 337 91
Oregon 314 217
Pennsylvania 292 66
Wisconsin 291 129
Delaware 288 623
Washington 277 163
Missouri 245 94
Iowa 224 267
Alabama 138 65
West Virginia 126 245
Mississippi 86 46
Vermont 47 334
Utah 38 62
Rhode Island 18
Nevada 18 14
Oklahoma 11 5
Montana 11 29
Nebraska 8 14
North Dakota 7 56
South Dakota 4 11
Maine 4 20
Alaska 2 4
New Hampshire 1 4
Hawaii 0 0
Wyoming
Source: State and federal prison agencies

Prison Staff

While we know more about how prisoners are getting sick, another group of people is at risk in these facilities: correctional officers, nurses, chaplains, wardens and other workers. We know little about how coronavirus is affecting them, though they have the potential to carry it both into facilities and back out to their communities. It’s difficult to assess how prison workers are being affected because many aren’t being systematically tested.

In the most recent week, 18 states—Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, West Virginia—released information on the number of their staff members tested for coronavirus. Where we do know about positive cases, most state corrections departments stress that the count includes only the employees who voluntarily report a diagnosis, often in the course of calling out sick.

Deaths

While more than 13,863 prison staff members have tested positive, only 47 deaths have been publicly reported. As with cases among prisoners, new staff cases this week are at their highest level since we began tracking this data.

Total Case

0

of coronavirus reported among prison staff. 8,439 staff have recovered.
Total deaths

0

from coronavirus reported among prison staff.

Covid-19 related post

Biden Administration to Ramp Up Clemency

Will thousands be released later this year in clemency push by President Biden? May 10, 2021 As the Biden administration begins to make good on its promises to overhaul the criminal justice system in the interest of giving those most impacted by social inequity a seat at the table, media outlets are buzzing with discussions…

Federal Drug Trafficking Offense Penalties – Knowing the Basics

Recently, the FBI and Tennessee law enforcement arrested 10 people on federal drug trafficking charges in Memphis. They were ultimately charged with conspiracy to distribute and possession with the intent to distribute. They had in their possession methamphetamine, cocaine, and more than 100 kilograms of marijuana. Given the conspiracy charges in this case, those arrested…

Trespassing In Cyberspace: The Law of Federal Cybercrime

It has been nicknamed “Celebgate.” That is the federal cybercrime scandal, beginning in September 2014, in which hackers obtained and leaked photographs of a number of female celebrities. The FBI’s investigation into Celebgate is still ongoing and recently (January 2018) resulted in another guilty plea. This time the plea came from a 26-year-old Connecticut man…

The Federal Appeal Process – What you need to know.

Procedural TV shows like Law and Order and films like A Few Good Men make the most of the age-old “courtroom drama” form of entertainment. Most of us, when thinking about courtroom litigation, immediately jump to images of lawyers arguing to a jury, or witnesses in the witness box having a “Perry Mason moment.” However,…

Are Sex Offender Registries Unconstitutional?

A sex offender registry, publicly listing those convicted of federal sex crimes, is important to give the community information to help keep children safe. However, it sometimes leads to absurd, or even tragic, results. Take, for example, 19-year-old William Elliot. He had sex with his then-girlfriend who was a few weeks shy of her 16th…

Health Care Fraud and Abuse: A Primer

The United States loses billions of dollars due to health care fraud and abuse each year. In fact, some estimate the cost to be close to $100 billion annually. Moreover, as national health care expenditures rise – currently into the $3 trillion range – health care fraud schemes appear to be growing in complexity and…

What is Money Laundering?

We hear the phrase whenever we are watching a procedural drama on television, or watching a movie about the mob. This phrase immediately engenders images of nefarious characters transacting business in the organized crime underworld. Indeed, recent news indicates that the current occupant of the White House is possibly mired in a scheme involving this…

Federal Fraud

Federal Fraud: The Law and Recent Cases that Affect Our Lives

The offense of federal fraud encompasses a wide number of economic, often white-collar, crimes. But in short, a “fraud” is simply a criminal lie. It is a lie that is used to obtain some personal gain. We may often think of white-collar economic crimes as those offenses that happen in boardrooms and beach resorts and…