Key Insights: COVID-19 in Correctional and Detention Facilities

Correctional and detention facilities present unique challenges in preventing and controlling the spread of COVID-19. When compared to the general population, a disproportionate number of COVID-19 outbreaks and deaths occur in jails, prisons, and detention facilities across the country. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has noted that the confined nature of correctional and detention facilities, combined with their congregate environments, heightens the potential for COVID-19 to spread once introduced into a facility. Individuals typically eat, sleep, and participate in activities in close proximity to one another in these facilities, which can include custody, housing, healthcare, food service, education, recreation, and workplace components in a single physical setting. Considering the increased risk presented by these congregate settings, several Offices of Inspectors General published reports on how federal agencies handled the COVID-19 pandemic in correctional and detention environments. This insights reports summarizes the work completed by OIGs related to the steps federal agencies have taken to prevent the spread and mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on their staff and the individuals housed in federal correctional and detention facilities. Common issues identified include challenges of physical layout, capacity, staffing, guidance, consistency in mitigation efforts across facility types, and safe transport of inmates and detainees.