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:
657,089
total cumulative cases among incarcerated people
3,171
total cumulative deaths among incarcerated people
241,162
total cumulative cases among staff
311
total cumulative deaths among staff
Showing in carceral facilities
Each spike represents the number incarcerated people who currently have COVID-19
1
66
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 | |
ICE Karnes County Residential Center | 3,137 | 348,556 | 131 | 14,556 | 0 | 0 | -- | -- | |
Maricopa County Jail | 5,732 | 10,803 | 110 | 207 | 0 | 0 | 85,984 | 162,051 | |
California State Prison Los Angeles | 2,203 | 6,846 | 93 | 289 | 15 | 47 | -- | -- | |
Carswell Federal Medical Center | 897 | 5,423 | 69 | 417 | 8 | 48 | -- | -- | |
ICE Rio Grande Detention Center | 725 | 44,207 | 65 | 3,963 | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 118% | -- | |
| 98% | 49% | |
| 97% | 62% | |
| 92% | 72% | |
| 92% | 83% | |
Showing among
in No facilities selected (click to add)
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Recent Updates
November 29th, 2022
Study: Hispanic People in Texas Prisons Died of COVID at a Rate Double Their White Peers, Black People Died at Rate 1.6 Times
A New Study from UCLA finds that Hispanic People Died of COVID at Twice the Rate of their White Peers, and Black People Died at Rate 1.6 Times. Prison Crowding and Medical Copays Could Be Driving These Disparities.
November 4th, 2022
Jails Should Be Prioritized for Surveillance of New COVID Variants
Instead of declaring the pandemic over and backing off of the measures that protect our communities, such as testing and publicly reporting COVID data, jails should be sites of increased surveillance and study, where public health techniques like genomic sequencing are prioritized.
October 31st, 2022
The Federal Government Doesn’t Know How Many People Died in Prison Since the Pandemic Began
This fall, we’ll publish a nationwide death-in-prison database. The database will serve as a partial replacement for—and, in significant ways, improvement upon—the reporting that the Department of Justice has effectively ended.
Our generous supporters include:
