Our team released an original report showing the dangers of continued ICE detention during the pandemic. Even if case rates in surrounding counties are low and no detained person is infected with COVID-19, we found, a single infection brought in from the local community by a staff member can trigger a devastating outbreak inside.
Op-Ed: Florida still is not protecting people in prisons, communities from COVID-19 surge (Miami Herald)
In the Miami Herald, we comment on the ongoing failures of the Florida Department of Corrections to respond to the public health catastrophe unfolding in its prisons.
Op-Ed: COVID Is Spreading Like Wildfire in ICE Facilities (MedPage Today)
In MedPage Today, we take a closer look at rising COVID-19 case numbers among people in ICE detention. ICE must decarcerate, vaccinate, reduce transfers, and implement public health measures inside its facilities.
LATEST FROM THE BLOG
AS THE DELTA VARIANT CAUSES NEW OUTBREAKS IN PRISONS, NOW IS THE TIME FOR MORE TRANSPARENCY, NOT LESS
Over the past two months, more and more carceral agencies have taken their COVID-19 data dashboards offline or reduced the amount of information they report concerning the health of the people who live and work in their prisons.
NEW REPORT SHOWS DECARCERATION NECESSARY TO PREVENT CONTINUED COVID-19 OUTBREAKS IN ICE DETENTION
We released a report highlighting the importance of decarceration to prevent continued COVID-19 surges among people held in ICE detention. Here are some takeaways.
NEW GOVERNMENT REPORT CONFIRMS LOW GRANT RATES OF COMPASSIONATE RELEASE DURING PANDEMIC, NEED FOR GREATER TRANSPARENCY
Alongside surging COVID-19 cases in Florida due to the Delta variant, the jail in St. Lucie County is experiencing its largest outbreak since the pandemic began. More than 1 in 20 individuals currently held in the jail have an active COVID-19 infection.
Earlier this summer, we posted about sudden COVID-19 spikes in two Missouri prisons. As cases there continue to rise, we are now seeing similar outbreaks in two Texas prisons.
Prison staff in several states are experiencing higher rates of COVID-19 infection than the overall population.
Once again, COVID-19 is surging in ICE facilities, with the highest active case rates in facilities in Texas and New Mexico.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
TAKE OUR SURVEY
We want to know how our website and data are being used. Take a quick survey to let us know how we — and our data — can be most useful to you.
YOU CAN ANALYZE OUR RAW DATA
Do you want to download our raw data to perform your own analyses? On GitHub, you can access our raw data as well as our R package "behindbarstools," which includes a variety of functions to help pull, clean, wrangle, and visualize our data.