The prison population is one of the most vulnerable to COVID-19 infection. The New York Times reports that 1,324 cases nationwide are tied to prisons and jails. Of these, 32 have died. Experts say that because of a lack of tests and medical personnel, the figure is much higher. Not all states have the same level of imprisonment. In fact, some are well above the national average.
Some prison systems have gone so far as to release nonviolent offenders since the COVID-19 outbreak, as prisons become more likely to become places with severe outbreaks. Prisoners usually are locked in close quarters, which medical experts believe creates dangerous conditions that speed the spread. Prison personnel face the same problem.
The prison population across the United States is hardly even. The Sentencing Project, which tracks prison population trends, reports that the number of prisoners nationwide is 440 people per 100,000. The state with the highest ratio is Louisiana with an imprisonment rate of 719 per 100,000. It is followed by Oklahoma at 704 and Mississippi at 619.
Most of the states among the top 10 measured imprisonment rates are in the south. Arkansas has a rate of 598 per 100,000. Arizona has a rate of 569 by the same measure. They are followed by Texas at 553, Missouri at 532, Kentucky at 527, Georgia at 506 and Alabama at 486.
There are several theories about what the imprisonment rate is so high in many southern states. Among the most probable is that these states tend to have “tough on crime” policies that lead to sentences more likely to put people in jail, in particular as part of drug sentencing. State and local sentencing have become stricter recently in the region. Some other theories revolve around the changing demographics of this part of the country. No single reason is persuasive by itself.
States at the other end of the imprisonment rate spectrum are primarily in the northeast. The lowest rate is in Massachusetts at 120 per 100,000. It is followed on a list, or the lowest 10, by Maine at 134, Rhode Island at 170, Vermont at 180, Minnesota at 191, New Hampshire at 204, Utah at 206, New Jersey at 217, North Dakota at 226 and Hawaii at 240.
Massachusetts has refined its mandatory imprisonment regulations and how its bail system works. Politicians in the state believe that these modifications will reduce not just the prison population but also the number of people who are imprisoned more than once.
Additionally, the United States has by far the highest rate of imprisonment among developed countries. That adds another dimension to the COVID-19 spread in America compared to other nations. It is one that is extremely unfavorable.
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