The Marshall Project has published an article highlighting how the United States’ federal prisons have become death traps during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

With over 163,000 people in custody, the federal Bureau of Prisons (‘BOP’) is America’s largest jailer. The bureau insists that its prisons are “safe, humane, cost-efficient, and appropriately secure.” At the same time the agency has confirmed active COVID-19 cases at 69 of its 122 prisons. As of 17 June 2020, it reported that at least 6,245 prisoners and 673 staff had been infected over the course of the pandemic. The official death toll is currently 86, including one staff member. 

However, the Marshall Project’s research shows that the numbers are much worse due to the BOP being “unprepared for the pandemic and slow to respond” and top officials even taking “measures that contributed to the spread of the virus”. 

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