…One in every five state and federal prisoners in the United States has tested positive for the coronavirus, a rate more than four times as high as the general population.
…As the pandemic enters its tenth month—and as the first Americans begin to receive a long-awaited COVID-19 vaccine—at least 275,000 prisoners have been infected, more than 1,700 have died and the spread of the virus behind bars shows no sign of slowing.
(Without information on rate of influx or release, will assume steady-state. -rws)
Deriving from the above:
| numeric | type |
|---|---|
| 1,375,000 | Total Population |
| 275,000 | Infections |
| 1,700 | Deaths |
| 20% | Infection Ratio |
| 0.62% | Death/Infection Ratio |
| 0.12% | Death/ Prison Population Ratio |
Separately….
Novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) represents a challenge to prisons because of close confinement, limited access to personal protective equipment, and elevated burden of cardiac and respiratory conditions that exacerbate COVID-19 risk among prisoners…. systematic data are lacking
The COVID-19 case rate for prisoners was 5.5 times higher than the US population case rate of 587 per 100 000. The crude COVID-19 death rate in prisons was 39 deaths per 100,000 prisoners, which was higher than the US population rate of 29 deaths per 100,000.
[As is age and morbidity data is not detailed, would require deeper analysis to interpret a 5.5 times higher case rate but only a 1.3 times higher death rate. Additionally, it would seem appropriate to consider this data in the context of historical general prison health/death figures. -rws]
Mortality in State and Federal Prisons, 2001-2016 – Statistical Tables
In 2016, a total of 4,117 state and federal prisoners died in publicly or privately operated prisons.
From 2015 to 2016, deaths in state prisons increased from 296 to 303 deaths per 100,000 state prisoners. [~ 0.30%]
From 2015 to 2016, deaths in federal prisons decreased for the first time since 2012, from 283 to 252 deaths per 100,000 federal prisoners. [~ 0.25%]
Illness-related deaths made up 86% of deaths in state prisons in 2016, with more than half of those being due to cancer (30% of all deaths) or heart disease (28%).
