Deaths In The Majority Of U.S. Prisons Rose Nearly 50% During COVID-19

The overall number of prison deaths in the U.S. increased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic. While statistics vary by state, aggregate data show an average 50% increase (nearly 2,000 more prison deaths) in 2020 than 2019. This is particularly notable as there was a slight decrease (10%) in the prison population during this same time frame. 

During 2019, there were 1,447,847 prisoners as of June 2019, and during the year there were 4,240 deaths. During 2020, there were 1,303,181 prisoners as of June 2020 and 6,182 deaths during the year. In . . .