COVID-19 in U.S. prisons and jails
Professional Resources
- UCLA Prison Law and Policy Program: UCLA Covid-19 Behind Bars Data Project
- UCLA Prison Law and Policy Program: UCLA Covid-19 Behind Bars Data Project - Court Orders
- Emory Center for the Health of Incarcerated Persons: Coronavirus COVID-19 and the Correctional Facility for the Correctional Health Care Worker
- Emory Center for the Health of Incarcerated Persons: Coronavirus for Justice-Involved Persons
- Emory Center for the Health of Incarcerated Persons: Coronavirus for Correctional Staff Leadership
- Guidance for Coronavirus Clinical Care in Corrections
- National Commission on Correctional Health Care: COVID-19 (Coronavirus): What You Need to Know in Corrections
- The Justice Collaborative: COVID-19 Policy Shift Tracker
- VitalCore Health Strategies: COVID-19 Correctional Pandemic Response Plan
- BOP COVID-19 Results as of 4-6-20
- BOP, Memo, Phase 6 COVID-19 Action Plan, 2020
- BOP FAQ re Home Confinement (removed from BOP site), April 2020
- Prioritization of Home Confinement Memo, BOP, 2020
- Washington Office of Corrections Ombuds: COVID-19 Monitoring Visit to MCC Report, 2020
- University of Michigan Law School COVID-19 Volunteer Corps: COVID-19 Jails and Prisons Briefing
- COVID-19 List of Prisoner Actions
- Human Rights Watch: Averting an Imminent Catastrophe
- Mass Incarceration, Meet COVID-19
- Recommendations for Prioritization and Distribution of COVID-19 Vaccine in Prisons and Jails
Affidavits/Declarations of Medical Experts
- Affidavit of Dr. Craig Haney re: psychological effects of continued incarceration on children
- Declaration of Dr. Craig Haney in Coleman v. Newsom
- First Declaration of Dr. Homer Venters in Fraihat v. ICE
- Second Declaration of Dr. Homer Venters in Fraihat v. ICE
- Declaration of Dr. Homer Venters in Chunn v. Edge
- Affidavit of Rev. LaMarr in State of Ohio v. Towns
Coronavirus In The News
- 03/02/2020 Paul Wright on Prison Pipeline Radio Show Discussing CoronaVirus in Prisons
- Officials approve release of more than 50 Rikers inmates over coronavirus fears
- New coronavirus cases in US jails heighten concerns about an unprepared system
- Jails Release Prisoners, Fearing Coronavirus Outbreak
- Wisconsin Department of Corrections halts all prison admissions
- If social distancing is impossible in prisons, people should be freed
- No Escape From Virus Threat for 2 Million Crammed in Prisons
- Prisons And Jails Change Policies To Address Coronavirus Threat Behind Bars
- Paul Wright talks to RT International: Paul Wright discussing why CoronaVirus is especially dangerous in prison where social distancing is impossible.
- From the April 2020 PLN: Protect Yourself and Your Facility from COVID-19
- From the April 2020 PLN: Prisons and Jails Are Vulnerable to COVID-19 Outbreaks
- From the April 2020 PLN: From the Editor
- From the April 2020 PLN: What’s It Like Inside? Early Snapshots from Prisons During the Coronavirus Pandemic
- From the April 2020 PLN: As Coronavirus Spreads, New York Governor Exploits Prison Labor to Produce Hand Sanitizer
- From PPE to hospital laundry, COVID-19 outbreak exposes America's dependence on incarcerated labor
- Sign on letter re: driver's license suspensions (inc. HRDC): COVID-19 and Driver’s License Suspensions
- Sign on letters re: prison phone costs: Letter to National Sheriffs' Association, Letter to National Governors Association, Letter to US Conference of Mayors
- From the May 2020 CLN: Suspending the Constitution: Police State Uses Crises to Expand Its Lockdown Powers
- From the May 2020 CLN: ‘Travel Papers’ and the Pandemic Patriot Act 2.0
- From the May 2020 CLN: Coronavirus: Will Courts Continue To Operate, Preserving the Rule of Law?
- From the May 2020 PLN: Coronavirus: A Nationwide Survey of the Push for Early Release as Pandemic Fears Grow
- From the May 2020 PLN: Early Prison Release for Gangsta Rapper Sped Up by Coronavirus
- From the May 2020 PLN: From the Editor
- From the May 2020 PLN: Prioritizing Jails Over Hospitals Has Made Rural US More Vulnerable to COVID-19
- From the May 2020 PLN: May Update: Protect Yourself and Your Facility from COVID-19
- From the May 2020 PLN: Lawsuit: Release Prisoners in Virus Tinderbox to Home Confinement
- From the May 2020 PLN: Prison Postcards: Prisoners Write About Fears, Incompetence, at Their Facilities
- From the May 2020 PLN: Rikers Island Prisoners Helped with Preparations to Bury the Coronavirus Dead
- From the May 2020 PLN: Federal Judge “Troubled” by Arizona Prison Director’s Response to Coronavirus; State Rep Calls it “Reckless”
- From the May 2020 PLN: California Three-Judge Court Denies Emergency Motion to Reduce Prison Population During Pandemic
- From the May 2020 PLN: How Prepared Are State Prison Systems for a Viral Pandemic?
- From the May 2020 PLN: Emergency Cancellation of Attorney Visits Subject to Court Oversight
- From the May 2020 PLN: Mass Incarceration, Meet COVID-19 Opportunity to release prisoners with little public safety risk is clear
- From the May 2020 PLN: ICE Diverts Needed Face Masks from Medical Professionals
- From the May 2020 PLN: Women Advocate for the Release of COVID-19 At-Risk Prisoners in Indiana
- From the May 2020 PLN: Arizona Court Denies Emergency COVID-19 Motion
- From the May 2020 PLN: Ohio Prisoner’s Facebook Live a Plea for Help During COVID-19 Pandemic
Related Litigation
Authorizations for use of telephonic hearings:
- In re Order Authorizing the Use of Telephonic Hearings, HI, Order, COVID-19, 2020
- In re Telephone Conferencing, OK, General Order, COVID-19, 2020
Amos v. Hall: A U.S. District Court case in the Northern District of Mississippi challenging conditions of confinement re: the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak.
- Amos v. Hall, MI: WHO statement
- Amos v. Hall, MI: Standing Order
- Amos v. Hall, MI: Governor Proclamation
- Amos v. Hall, MI: Presidential Declaration
U.S. v. Stephens: Request for bail given new conditions of coronavirus outbreak in prison & jails (denied)
Parsons v. Shinn: An order from an Arizona district court denying emergency intervention to implement procedures to address the COVID-19 outbreak
Coleman v. Newsom: An emergency motion from a California district court regarding steps taken inside California prisons and jails to protect prisoners from COVID-19 -- Motion denied April 4, 2020, but without prejudice to the right of each plaintiff class to seek “relief in a procedurally appropriate forum”
- Coleman v. Newson, CA, Emergency Motion, Covid19, 2020
- Coleman v. Newsom, CA, Order Denying Plaintiff's Emergency Motion, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- Coleman v. Newsom, CA, Order, COVID-19 Steps, 2020
Flores v. Barr: Order to Show Cause (OSC) for ORR and ICE to provide justification by April 10, 2020 for not releasing children in immigrant detention as COVID-19 spreads
Chunn v. Edge: A class action petition filed by prisoners to demand release for medically vulnerable prisoners in New York - preliminary injunction denied 6/9/20
- Chunn v. Edge, NY, Class Action Petition, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- Chunn v. Edge, NY, Notice of Deposition, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- Chunn v. Edge, NY, Memo and Order, COVID-19 Release, 2020
Doe v. Hansell: A petition filed on behalf of juveniles in New York to demand release
Braswell v. USA: A complaint filed by Federal Bureau of Prisons employees and others to demand hazard pay during COVID-19
Parsons v. Shinn: An order demanding release of COVID-19 testing results in Arizona DOC facilities
Colvin v. Inslee: An emergency motion demanding accelerated review of initial request for release of prisoners in the state of Washington
- Colvin v. Inslee, WA, Emergency Motion to Accelerate Review, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- Colvin v. Inslee, WA, Order on Motion, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- Colvin v. Inslee, WA, Respondents Report on DOC's COVID-19 Response, COVID-19, 2020
- Colvin v. Inslee, WA, Order Denying Release, COVID-19 Release, 2020
Lewis v. Cain: An emergency motion filed in Louisiana for release during COVID-19
- Lewis v. Cain, LA, Emergency Motion, COVID-19, 2020
- Lewis v. Cain, LA, Exhibit, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- Lewis v. Cain, LA, Supplemental Declaration of Dr. Puisis, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- Lewis v. Cain, LA, Supplemental Declaration of Jeffrey Dubner, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- Lewis v. Cain, LA, Memo in Support of Emergency Motion, COVID-19, 2020
- Lewis v. Cain, LA, Proposed Order, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- Lewis v. Cain, LA, Ruling, COVID-19 Release, 2020
Williams v. BOP: A class action complaint for the emergency release of federal prisoners during COVID-19
- Williams v. BOP, DC, Class Action Complaint, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- Williams v. BOP, DC, Emergency Motion, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- Williams v. BOP, DC, Def's Opp to Plaintiff's Mot, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- Williams v. BOP, DC, Plaintiffs' Reply to Def Opp, COVID-19 Release, 2020
Office of the Public Defender v. Connors: Report and recommendations of the special master for treatment of prisoners in Hawaii
Additional petitions and other demands for release of individual or classes of prisoners:
- Abrams v. Chapman, MI, Complaint for Class Certification, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- Banks v. Booth, DC, Motion for TRO and Prelim Injunction, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- Baxley v. Jividen, WV, Memo Opinion and Order, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- Cameron v. Bouchard, MI, TRO Preliminary Injunction, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- Cullors v. County of Los Angeles, CA, Class Action Petition, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- Fraihat v. ICE, CA, Order Granting Motion for Prelim Injunct, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- Frazier v. Kelley, AR, Order Denying Prelim Injunct, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- Gayle v. Meade, FL, Report and Recommendation, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- Graham v. Allegheny County, PA, Class Action Complaint, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- Gray v. County of Riverside, CA, Order Granting Emergency Motion, COVID-19, 2020
- Gumns v. Edwards, LA, Class Action Petition, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- Gumns v. Edwards, LA, Memo in Support of Emergency Mot, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- Hallinan v. Scarantino, NC, Class Action Petition, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- In re Coe, FL, Petition, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- In re Sharp, OH, Emergency Application for Categorical Reprieve, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- Jones v. Hill, GA, Complaint, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- Jones v. Wolf, NY, Decision and Order, COVID-19 Immigrant Release, 2020
- Livas v. Myers, LA, Petition, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- Livas v. Myers, LA, Emergency Motion, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- Livas v. Myers, LA, Memo in Support of Emergency Mot, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- Martinez v. GEO Group, FL, Complaint, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- Mays v. Dart, IL, Memo Opinion and Order, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- NAACP v. Cooper, NC, Emergency Petition, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- People of State of NY ex rel. Stoughton v. Brann, NY, Slip Opinion, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- People of the State of NY v. Capra, NY, Petition, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- Ramsundar v. Wolf, NY, Order, COVID-19 Immigrant Release, 2020
- Rivas v. Jennings, CA, Class Petition, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- Rivas v. Jennings, CA, Memo on Common Issues in Bail Review Process, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- Russell v. Wayne County, MI, Petition, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- State of Ohio v. Towns, OH, Emergency Motion, COVID-19 Relief, 2020
- Swain v. Junior, FL, Class Action Complaint, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- Swain v. Junior, FL, Motion for Preliminary Injunction, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- Torres v. Milusnic, CA, Complaint, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- USA v. Ben-Yhwh, HI, Order re Emergency Motion, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- USA v. Brewington, VA, Order, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- USA v. Cole, AZ, Emergency Motion, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- USA v. Davis, MD, Memo Opinion, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- USA v. Ghorbani, DC, Joint Submission re Motion, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- USA v. Hammond, DC, Emergency Motion, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- USA v. Hammond, DC, Reply to Governor's Opp, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- USA v. Hector, 4th Circuit, Motion to Dismiss Appeal, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- USA v. Martin, WV, Emergency Motion, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- USA v. McNeal, NV, Order, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- USA v. McPherson, WA, Order Granting Motion, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- USA v. Osorto, CA, Order, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- USA v. Ramirez-Rodriguez, MN, Order, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- USA v. Reddy, MI, Order, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- USA v. Sharp, MT, Order Delaying Reporting Date, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- Valentine v. Collier, TX, Class Action Complaint, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- Valentine v. Collier, TX, Prelim Injunction Order, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- Wilson v. Williams, OH, Emergency Petition, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- Wilson v. Williams, OH, Order, COVID-19 Release, 2020
Legislative Actions and Executive Orders
- Illinois: Executive Order 2020-21, IL, COVID-19 Medical Release, 2020
- Michigan: Executive Order 2020-29, MI, COVID-19 Protocols, 2020, Executive Order 2020-62, MI, COVID-19 Protocols, 2020
- New Jersey: Executive Order 124, NJ, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- Pennsylvania: Order of the Governor, PA, COVID-19 Release, 2020
- Texas: Executive Order GA-13, TX, COVID-19 Bonds Suspension, 2020
- Wisconsin: Emergency Order #9, WI, Moratorium on Prisoner Intakes, 2020
From the Editor
