COVID-19 cases and deaths in federal and state prisons significantly
higher than in general U.S. population

Date:
July 8, 2020
Source:
Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health
Summary:
Prison COVID-19 cases are five times higher and prison COVID-19
death rate are three times higher than the U.S. general population,
according to new research.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A new analysis led by researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School
of Public Health found that the number of U.S. prison residents who
tested positive for COVID-19 was 5.5 times higher than the general
U.S. population, with a prisoner case rate of 3,251 per 100,000 residents
as compared to 587 cases per 100,000 in the general population.


==========================================================================
The researchers also found the death rate of U.S. prisoners was 39 deaths
per 100,000 prison residents, higher than that of the U.S. population at
29 deaths per 100,000 people. After adjusting for age and sex differences between the two groups, the death rate would be three times higher for prisoners compared to the general U.S. population.

The findings were published online in a research letter July 8 in JAMA.

The study, which analyzed cases and deaths from March 31 to June 6,
2020, found that COVID-19 cases in prisons increased by 8.3 percent
per day compared to 3.4 percent in the general population. The analysis includes COVID-19 cases among prisoners, including active confirmed cases, recoveries, and decedents, posted on publicly available data sources such
as correction departments' websites, news reports, and press releases.

"While these numbers are striking, we actually think the disparities
within prisons is much greater," says lead author Brendan Saloner, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management
at the Bloomberg School. "Some prisons are not reporting any cases,
others are not even testing inmates, so the need for policies to protect incarcerated populations is more important than ever." For the study,
the Bloomberg School researchers collaborated with the UCLA Law COVID-19
Behind Bars Data Project, a new initiative based at the University of California, Los Angeles -- led by senior author, Sharon Dolovich, JD,
PhD, at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law --
that collects data on prisoners in state and federal prisons.

For their analysis of COVID-19 deaths, the researchers drew from
information available from departments of corrections and external medical examiner reports. Using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey, the researchers were able to gather state-level data about COVID-19 cases,
deaths, and demographics for the general U.S. population.

The researchers counted COVID-19 cases and deaths separately for prisoners
and the general population. During the study period, there were 42,107
cases of COVID-19 and 510 deaths among 1,295,285 prison residents. Among
the U.S.

population, there were 1,920,904 infections and 95,608 deaths.

Prison populations are especially vulnerable to the spread of a highly infectious disease like COVID-19. Close confinement, limited access to
personal protective equipment, and high rates of preexisting respiratory
and cardiac conditions are factors that can exacerbate the spread of
COVID-19 among the two-plus million people incarcerated in America's
jails, prisons, and correctional facilities. Policies that have potential
to curb the spread of disease include the early release of prisoners
unlikely to pose a risk of reoffending, implementing strong infection
control practices, and using widespread testing.

"Prisoners have a right to adequate protection of their health while incarcerated," says Saloner. "The reality of these findings shows that we aren't coming anywhere close to meeting their basic needs. Ultimately,
it creates a dangerous situation for the inmates, prison staff, the
communities that prisons are located in, and in our overall effort to
contain the crisis."

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Johns_Hopkins_University_Bloomberg_School_of_Public Health. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Brendan Saloner, Kalind Parish, Julie A. Ward, Grace DiLaura, Sharon
Dolovich. COVID-19 Cases and Deaths in Federal and State
Prisons. JAMA, 2020; DOI: 10.1001/jama.2020.12528 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/07/200708121423.htm

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