Louisiana has the highest per-capita prison population
in the world, with US News reporting that we incarcerate 760 residents
out of every 100,000. According to the Louisiana Illuminator, since April,
about 10 percent of these inmates have been tested for the coronavirus. Of
those tested, over 40 percent have been positive. This high percentage
indicates that the virus is likely more widespread than indicated, especially
because asymptomatic carriers are likely not being tested.
A 40 percent positivity rate is highly concerning,
especially given that nine out of 10 of America's largest coronavirus clusters
are currently in prisons. The Louisiana Illuminator reports that, in the
general public, the goal is for fewer than 10 percent of tests to return
positive. While there have been calls for months to release incarcerated people
across the country to avoid COVID-19 spread and encourage social distancing,
Louisiana has not responded to these calls. Nationwide, states are considering
releasing inmates to ensure their safety and mitigate virus spread. Fox News
reports that over 16,000 inmates have been released or are scheduled to be
released to date. However, according to the Prison Policy Initiative,
Louisiana's review panel that was intended to consider temporarily releasing up
to 1,100 people for medical purposes reviewed fewer than 600 cases and released
only 63.
So far, 16 inmates and three staff members have died
across the Louisiana prison system, but those numbers could easily rise.
ProPublica reports that sick prisoners in Angola were often left to recover on
their own in their bunks, which were less than four feet from adjacent beds. Haller
Jackson, who was formerly incarcerated in Angola, stated, "The surest way not
to have a coronavirus crisis is not to test for it. We all joked when we saw
the ambulance coming, 'Oh, somebody else is dehydrated.'"
Outside prisons, the coronavirus has not affected all
Americans equally. Instead, indigenous, black, and Latino individuals are four
to five times more likely to be hospitalized or die because of COVID-19. In
Louisiana, numbers recorded by the Louisiana Department of Health indicate that
over 50 percent of those who have died because of the coronavirus are black,
although the census indicates that only 32.8 percent of the population is black.
This is relevant because, according to the 2018 Status of State and Local
Corrections Facilities and Program Report, 66.7 percent of the Louisiana prison
population is black. Poor management of COVID-19 in Louisiana prisons is likely
to exacerbate the state's racial disparities in COVID-19 hospitalization and
death rates.
In addition to concerns about rights for inmates,
limiting spread in prisons is also crucial to minimizing the spread in the
general community. The Louisiana Illuminator notes that 18 percent of staff
members test positive, and their regular interactions
with both inmates and the outside community could be dangerous for all involved.
The CDC recommends that prisons ought to test
all current inmates and new arrivals for the coronavirus in order to avoid
asymptomatic carriers increasing virus spread. However, the Louisiana
Illuminator reports that the Louisiana Department of Health only gave 10,000
coronavirus test kits to the prison system, which means that there is no way to
determine the current rate of infection among inmates and staff. As Louisiana's
coronavirus case numbers rise, the state will continue to be faced with questions
about how to prevent widespread infection and death in prisons.
