COVID-19 Ravages Prisons with Disproportionately Black Populations

U.S. prisons became COVID-19 hotspots in 2020. The Cook County Jail in Chicago, with a majority-Black population, was among the nation's earliest and largest clusters. San Quentin State Prison in California saw over 2,200 infections and 28 deaths after transferring infected inmates from another facility. Courts largely denied emergency release petitions. The Marshall Project estimated more than 2,800 incarcerated people died of COVID-19 by mid-2021. Black and Latino people were overrepresented in prison populations — roughly 38% and 30% respectively — and thus bore disproportionate COVID mortality risk.