Study finds lower COVID-19 mortality rates in prisons that conduct mass testing

According to a report prepared by assistant professor Kevin Schnepel for the Council on Criminal Justice (CCJ), prisons in the United States that conducted mass COVID-19 testing reported significantly lower COVID-19 deaths among incarcerated adults. 

Schnepel analyzed publicly available data from 32 state prison systems, and found that one in three inmates tested positive for COVID-19 which is 4.3 times the rate outside of prisons. 

In states where testing behind bars was more limited, COVID-19 death rates among incarcerated people were nearly eight times the rate for non-incarcerated populations similar in age, race/ethnicity, and gender. That disparity was cut in half in states that conducted mass testing.

Read the full report here: COVID-19 Testing in State Prisons

Media Mentions: 

• April 1, 2021: 1 in 3 state prisoners tested positive for COVID-19, report says (ABC News) 
• April 1, 2021: COVID Infections Soared in Prisons Where Testing was 'Limited': Report (The Crime Report) 
• April 15, 2021: Colorado tested more prisoners for COVID-19 than most states—but it's not clear if that prevented deaths (The Denver Post)
• September 3, 2020: Prison inmates are twice as likely to die of Covid-19 than those on the outside, new report finds (CNN)