Author: Erin McCauley

COVID Case Watch June 3, 2020

Posted on | by Erin McCauley

This graph shows the confirmed positive COVID-19 rate per 1,000 individuals in the prison population and the general population for each state as of June 3rd, 2020. The left side of the graph (orange) refers to the prison population and the right side of the graph (blue) refers to the general population. The rates calculated here use new state prison population data from the Vera Institute of Justice which better adjusts for COVID-19 related releases.

The confirmed positive COVID-19 case rate has increased in the prison population in more than half of states since last week, with the largest increases in Michigan (increase of 76 per 1,000), New Jersey (increase of 36 per 1,000), and Texas (increase of 20 per 1,000).

The confirmed case rate in the prison population is now above 100 in three states (Michigan, New Jersey, and Tennessee) and approaching 100 in two more (Ohio and Kansas). In fact, the confirmed COVID-19 case rate is around 30x greater in the prison population than the general population in the states of Ohio, Tennessee, and Michigan.

COVID Case Watch May 27, 2020

Posted on | by Erin McCauley

This graph shows the confirmed positive COVID-19 rate per 1,000 individuals in the prison population and the general population for each state as of May 27th, 2020. The left side of the graph (orange) refers to the prison population and the right side of the graph (blue) refers to the general population.

In the last two weeks, confirmed case rates in the prison population increased in nearly all states. The largest increase in the confirmed case rate among the prison population occurred in New Jersey where there was a 300% increase (from 19 per 1,000 to 77 per 1,000). Other states with large increases in the confirmed case rate among the prison population are Tennessee (increase of 40 per 1,000), Michigan (increase of 30 per 1,000), Connecticut (increase of 23 per 1,000), Texas and Kansas (increase of 13 per 1,000), and West Virginia (increase of 12 per 1,000). The states with the highest confirmed positive rate in the prison population are Tennessee, Ohio, Michigan, and Kansas.