Covid Deaths in American Prisons 50 Percent Higher Than General Population

2020 was the worst year for prisoner deaths since the 1918-1919 Spanish Flu pandemic.

The first comprehensive study of prisoner deaths during the Covid era shows that deaths in federal and state prisons rose nearly 50 percent during the first year of the pandemic, and in six states, they more than doubled.  The New York Times reports that deaths in America's prisons during 2020 showed more than twice the increase compared to deaths in the United States overall, and they even exceeded deaths in nursing homes, which were among the hardest hit sectors across the country.