One in five U.S. inmates has contracted coronavirus as masked prison staff

One in five U.S. state and federal prisoners has tested positive for the new coronavirus.

The rate is more than four times higher than that of the general population, according to data collected by The Associated Press and The Marshall Project.

More than 276,000 prisoners have been infected and more than 1,700 have died, and the spread of the virus behind bars shows no sign of slowing down.

This week, new cases in prisons reached their highest level since testing began in the spring, far exceeding the peaks before April and August, with more than 25,000 infections recorded.

Now, the launch of vaccines poses difficult decisions for politicians and policymakers. Because the virus spreads largely unchecked between bars, prisoners cannot distance themselves socially and depend on the state for their safety and well-being.

It occurs when online photos of California prison staff appearing partying without masks or social distancing.

Infection rates, as of Tuesday, were calculated by AP and The Marshall Project, a nonprofit news organization that covers the criminal justice system.

The calculations were based on data collected weekly in prisons since March.

Infection and mortality rates may be even higher, as almost all prison systems currently have a significantly lower number of prisoners than at the start of the pandemic, so rates represent a conservative estimate based on population. best known.

Almost all prison systems in the country have recorded significantly higher infection rates in the surrounding communities.

In facilities run by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, one in five prisoners has had coronavirus. Twenty-four state prison systems have had even higher rates.

Donte Westmoreland, 26, was recently released from Lansing Correctional Center in Kansas, where he caught the virus while on a marijuana charge.

Some 5,100 prisoners have been infected in Kansas prisons, the third highest COVID-19 rate in the country, just behind South Dakota and Arkansas.

In Arkansas, where more than 9,700 prisoners tested positive and 50 died, four out of seven had the virus.

“It was like he was sentenced to death,” Westmoreland said.

Westmoreland lived with more than 100 men infected with the virus in an open bedroom, where he regularly woke up to find sick men on the floor, who could not get up alone, he said.

“People are dying in the face of this virus because of this virus. It’s the most frightening sight,” he said.

Westmoreland said he sweated it, trembling on his stretcher until, six weeks later, he finally recovered.

Half of Kansas inmates have been infected with COVID-19, eight times the rate of cases among the general population of the state.

Eleven prisoners have died, including five in the prison where Westmoreland was detained. Of the three prison employees who have died in Kansas, two worked at the Lansing Correctional Center.

Prison workers have also been disproportionately affected. In North Dakota, four out of five prison officials have had coronavirus. Across the country, it is one in five.

The facilities are usually overcrowded and poorly ventilated. Dormitory-style housing, cafes, and open bar cell doors make quarantine nearly impossible.

In addition, prison populations are, on average, sicker than the general population and behind-the-scenes health care is notoriously low.

Nationwide, the mortality rate for COVID-19 among inmates is 45 percent higher than the overall rate.

“If we are going to end this pandemic: reduce infection rates, reduce mortality rates, reduce ICU employment rates, we need to address infection rates in correctional facilities,” he said. say Dr. Emily Wang, a professor at the Yale School of Medicine — author of the recent report from the National Academies, told AP.

‘Infections and deaths are extraordinarily high. They are neighborhoods of the state, and we have to fight for them ”.

It comes when the Santa Clara County sheriff’s office said it is looking at photos showing parties to prison staff.

Photos posted on Facebook show at least three of the correctional deputies at a covered party last weekend with little or no mask or social distancing and where partygoers shared a beer bong.

The photographs surfaced as the county sees a sharp rise in COVID-19 infections in the general population and also among sheriff’s office staff and prison inmates.

Mercury News reported on Thursday that more than 30 photos and videos of the Dec. 6 party were posted on the profile of a prison deputy registered under an alias.

December 6 was the same day Santa Clara County entered a lockdown, which forbade meeting with other people outside their homes.

The photos suggest that more than three homes (the pre-closing meeting limit) were at the party.

The sheriff’s office said it was unaware of the party and would review the event.

“As a police agency, we expect our staff to keep themselves and each other at a higher level and take seriously the recommendations and guidelines set by public health officials,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

“The behavior described in the Facebook post in question is not representative of these expectations or the agency in general.

“If they are actually substitutes for the sheriff, they are expected to comply with public health guidelines and behave professionally at all times, whether out of service or out of service. The issue is being studied.”

Correctional deputies accounted for about two-thirds of the 117 registered cases of COVID-19 since March involving sheriff’s office staff, according to its online public bulletin board.

As of Wednesday, 19 correctional deputies were listed with active infections, along with 11 patrol deputies and five civilian employees.