Twenty percent of people in American prisons have contracted the coronavirus, significantly higher than the confirmed case rate of 5% in the general public, a study by the Associated Press found.
More than 275,000 prisoners and people in custody have become infected, with 1,700 people dying of the disease, calling into question the management of the health of prisons by local, state and federal officials–as well as private prison corporations–responsible for the safety of those jailed.
Homer Venters, the former chief medical officer at New York’s Rikers Island jail complex, called the number a “vast undercount,” citing the lack of testing in prison facilities.
In Kansas, half of the prison population has been infected, according to data from the study, done in conjuction with the Marshall Project, eight times higher than the general population of the state.
Rampant spread of the disease extends beyond prison walls, with corrections officers getting infecting and risking the health of their families and close contacts. In Kansas, eleven prisoners and three corrections workers have died of coronavirus.
With the introduction of coronavirus vaccines, few states have incorporated prison populations or corrections officers in plans to distribute the vaccine, even as their risks outpace others on the schedules.