US Jails Releases Inmates as the Coronavirus Pandemic Spreads In the Prisons

Some jails in the United States are releasing inmates due to the spread of coronavirus behind bars. The coronavirus pandemic is spreading rapidly in the jails of America. Sanitizers are banned in the jails, and social distancing is impossible there, which is encouraging the authorities to release thousands of inmates across the nation. 

The authorities are releasing the inmates as an effort to slow the spread of infection and save lives. Hundreds of COVID-19 cases have been confirmed at the correctional facilities. It is an undercount due to a lack of testing facilities. The rapid spread of the virus led the inmates to hunger strikes for more protection. 

Around a week ago, Chicago’s Cook County jail had two confirmed cases, and by Sunday, the jail had around dozen of employees, and 101 inmates tested positive due to the rapid spread of coronavirus pandemic. New York City’s Rikers Island jail had 167 confirmed cases of coronavirus by Monday. 

According to the health experts, elected officials, and defense lawyers, these efforts to release the inmates are to slow as the virus is spreading rapidly. So far, the virus has infected around 156,000 people in the US, including 2,500 deaths. 

The head of the office of public defenders in New York City, David E. Patton, said, “By keeping more people in jails, you are increasing the overall number of people who contract the virus.” He further said that you are also increasing the demand for lifesaving resources like ventilators and hospital beds. David E. Patton represents around 2500 inmates in two federal jails of New York City.  

America has more inmates as compared to any other country. The correction facilities of the nation are unsanitary and crowded. Moreover, the facilities are filled with an aging population having a history of poor health care. The practices that are carried outside to curb the spread of coronavirus are impossible to follow inside the prisons. 

Read – White House Democrats Passed A Fourth Ambitious COVID-19 Bill On Monday