A July study in the American Medical Association's journal found that coronavirus infection rates in prisons are 5 1/2 times higher than that in the general U.S. population and that the death rate is three times higher. Statistics compiled by The New York Times rank prisons, correctional facilities and jails as the sixteen largest clusters of outbreaks so far.
There are a number of factors in prisons that make it difficult to follow recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Equal Justice Initiative, a nonprofit dedicated to criminal justice reform, cites overcrowding, the vulnerability of older prisoners and some other groups and a lack of quality medical care.