UCLA Law
COVID Behind Bars Data Project
We collect and analyze public information about the coronavirus pandemic in prisons, jails, youth facilities, and immigration detention centers across the United States. Our centralized source of data enables greater oversight of and accountability for carceral institutions’ responses to the pandemic behind bars. We also record legal and community responses to the crisis, including mass releases, legal filings, court orders, and organizing efforts.
Since the start of the pandemic, prisons and ICE detention centers across the U.S. have reported at least:
603,515
total cumulative cases among incarcerated people
3,108
total cumulative deaths among incarcerated people
210,190
total cumulative cases among staff
308
total cumulative deaths among staff
Showing in carceral facilities
Each spike represents the number incarcerated people who currently have COVID-19
1
67
130
This map displays reported COVID-19 cases and related deaths of people incarcerated in carceral facilities across the US. Click on a state to access more data.
Rates and active cases are not available for all facilities. Learn why.
Facilities with the highest
| Cumulative Cases | Active Cases | Cumulative Deaths | Tests | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Facility | Count | Per 10k | Count | Per 10k | Count | Per 10k | Count | Per 10k | |
Maricopa County Jail | 3,701 | 6,975 | 133 | 251 | 0 | 0 | 52,486 | 98,918 | |
ICE Karnes County Residential Center | 2,902 | 322,444 | 127 | 14,111 | 0 | 0 | -- | -- | |
California Health Care Facility | 1,052 | 3,693 | 122 | 428 | 20 | 70 | -- | -- | |
Fluvanna Correctional Center For Women | 1,049 | 9,695 | 116 | 1,072 | 0 | 0 | -- | -- | |
Pelican Bay State Prison | 665 | 2,511 | 109 | 412 | 0 | 0 | -- | -- | |
COVID-19 Vaccines in State and Federal Prisons
This table reflects data publicly reported by state and federal correctional agencies about the administration of COVID-19 vaccines to incarcerated people and staff in their facilities. The data reported here generally refer to people who have received at least one dose of a vaccine. There are some exceptions, noted with a flag, when agencies report only the number of people who have completed their vaccination schedules, and not the number of people partially vaccinated. Staff are generally not required to report their vaccination status to their employers, so the total numbers of staff who are vaccinated may be higher.
View our data on Github| Jurisdiction | Vaccination Rate for Incarcerated People | Vaccination Rate for Staff Members |
|---|---|---|
| 8100% | 7300% | |
| 110% | -- | |
| 97% | 49% | |
| 90% | 85% | |
| 88% | 70% | |
Showing among
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Recent Updates
May 9th, 2022
What We Won't Know When the Next Surge Arrives
Public health experts are again predicting new COVID surges in the coming weeks, and incarcerated people are still at heightened risk for infection and death. But still, two years into the pandemic, there are enormous gaps in what the public will know.
April 7th, 2022
UPDATE: Data Reporting & Quality Scorecard, Round 6
A year ago, we launched our Data Reporting and Quality Scorecards to assess COVID data reporting and quality by carceral agencies. We're updating our scorecards again to reflect the current realities of COVID data reporting behind bars. This round, 49 of 53 agencies received a failing score – the most ever.
March 18th, 2022
Failure to Decarcerate Jails Has Led to Unnecessary Deaths and Widespread Infection During Omicron Surge
Recent data show that, since the Omicron variant first appeared in the U.S., COVID case numbers in local and county jails across the country have increased rapidly, leaving people in jails at high risk of infection and death from the virus once again.
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