Published on 7 May 2021 As India passes 20 million reported Covid-19 cases, those in jail are at serious risk from contracting Covid-19 due to poor conditions and should be urgently released on humanitarian grounds, say Institute of Development Studies (IDS) researchers. This includes activist, researcher and former IDS student Devangana Kalita who, on 23 May, marks her one-year anniversary of being imprisoned for taking part in peaceful protests against the Citizen Amendment Act (CAA). According to research from the Social Science in Humanitarian Action Platform, ‘Covid-19 in prisons in low-and middle-income countries’ Covid-19 will spread exponentially within and outside of prison facilities without immediate and aggressive efforts to address overcrowding and poor sanitation. With a limited window of opportunity to act before infection has drastic health impacts inside a prison, urgent government action is essential. This includes early release, the release of pre-trial detainees previously denied bail and limits on new arrivals.