Nearly 6 percent of a Texas prison's population has died from COVID-19, new report finds
A new report from the University of Texas' Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs shed light on how the coronavirus has affected the state's correctional facilities.
Several pieces of data were striking, including the fact that 6 percent of the incarcerated population in one prison, the Duncan Unit, died from COVID-19. According to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, the Duncan Unit has a capacity of 606.
These are some of the most striking findings. And notice the last one: 9 prisoners who died were *already approved for parole* pic.twitter.com/LOfruG0Itv
— Keri Blakinger (@keribla) November 9, 2020
As the report itself acknowledges, it's not surprising that the raw numbers of COVID-19 infections and deaths are higher in Texas' prison system are higher than other in states, since Texas has the largest system in the country at the state level. But even when looking at infections and deaths as a rate, Texas' system is the second and third worst in the nation, respectively. Additionally, the state has been unable to bring the death curve in its correctional facilities down as successfully as comparable states have, and the report notes that the number of reported deaths in Texas prisons "remains stubbornly high." Read the full report here.
But HERE'S the thing that is most striking: While the other hardest hit systems brought their death #s down over time, Texas was much less successful at that.
And that doesn't even account for the monthslong reporting delays that could increase the death #s in the end pic.twitter.com/JtDuPIDAk1
— Keri Blakinger (@keribla) November 9, 2020
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