Covid-19 In U.S. Prisons: A Comparative Analysis of Public Health Interventions Across States

75 pagesAdults in U.S. custody suffered from disproportionately high rates of Covid-19 infection and death. This was in part due to a lack of public health interventions within corrections, and in part due to the state of mass incarceration. This thesis begins by describing the reality of Covid-19 in U.S prisons, ultimately narrowing in on three diverse prison systems and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Case study methodology is utilized to describe the steps taken and not taken by various corrections departments to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 for the purposes of comparison. Through comparative analysis, this thesis seeks to determine best practices for mitigating communicable disease in carceral settings and ultimately offer recommendations for policy makers to consider before the next public health emergency