The New York Times interviews employees and inmates at the Federal Correctional Complex in Oakdale, La., as well as family of the first prisoner at the facility who died from coronavirus. Six more have died since. Other prison news comes from California and Georgia.
The New York Times: ‘Something Is Going To Explode’: When Coronavirus Strikes A Prison
The Federal Correctional Complex in Oakdale, La., is the site of the first fatal coronavirus outbreak in the federal prison system. F.C.C. Oakdale — which houses some 2,000 inmates and employs close to 500 staff members in two low-security prisons (Federal Correctional Institution Oakdale I and F.C.I. Oakdale II) as well as a minimum-security camp — provides the economic lifeblood for a town of fewer than 8,000 people and the surrounding parish. Many of F.C.C. Oakdale’s inmates are serving sentences for nonviolent offenses, like drug sales and financial fraud. (Reitman, 4/18)
The Associated Press: California Reports Inmate Deaths Caused By Coronavirus
California corrections officials announced the first prison inmate deaths from complications related to the novel coronavirus. An inmate died Sunday at a hospital after contracting COVID-19 at the California Institution for Men in San Bernardino County, the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said in a statement. (4/19)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Georgia Jails And Prison Remain Crowded As COVID-19 Spreads
Prisoners across the state, who have relayed their experiences during the pandemic through phone or email interviews or via their loved ones, talk of unsanitary conditions and say they’ve been given little more to ward off the virus than bars of soap.In response, prison officials point to prepared statements about efforts to combat the spread of the coronavirus. The updated information is shared on a dashboard tallying confirmed cases of COVID-19. As of Friday, the Georgia Department of Corrections had confirmed 139 confirmed cases in 30 of the state’s 34 detention facilities. (Boone, 4/20)
San Francisco Chronicle: Federal Judge Refuses To Release Large Number Of California Prisoners
A federal judge refused Friday to order California prison officials to release large numbers of inmates or impose social-distancing requirements as protections against the coronavirus, saying the state has acted “reasonably” so far by freeing several thousand prisoners ahead of schedule and taking steps to expand housing and improve sanitation. (Egelko, 4/17)
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