Examining the Math and Ethics of Covid-19 in Prisons
In this lesson students will analyze graphs, maps and data to better understand the toll of the pandemic on incarcerated populations.
An interactive version of this map can be found here.
By Dashiell Young-Saver
May 4, 2021
Lesson Overview
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Prisons were not built to handle pandemics. In fact, it’s hard to imagine worse conditions for preventing the spread of the coronavirus than those in prisons: large groups of people living together, in crowded indoor spaces, with a security staff that comes and goes regularly.
A recent New York Times report found that the rate of Covid-19 cases in United States correctional institutions was more than three times the rate in the general population. A follow-up report found that the infection rate in detention centers run by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was 20 times that of the general population.