Journal of Critical Infrastructure Policy
Prisons
Based on a recent ( 2018 ) report from the U . S . Bureau of Justice Statistics , “ nearly 2.2 million adults were held in America ’ s prisons and jails at the end of 2016 ( Kaeble and Cowhig 2018 ). That means for every 100,000 people residing in the United States , approximately 655 of them were behind bars ” ( Drew 2020 ). The 2015 incarceration rate in the U . S . ( 698 per 100,000 ) put it , worldwide , second only to that of Seychelles ( Walmsley 2010 ). As of 2018 , the number of incarcerated individuals in the U . S . is roughly ten times the number of individuals holding “ executive ” positions in the country ( U . S . Bureau of Labor Statistics 2019 ).
Reports of coronavirus transmission within the U . S . prison system continue to filter into the popular press . Consistent with the general population , the prison population has been dramatically under-tested , particularly in light of the risks inherent in the close confines of a prison system . Indeed , at the time of one recent report , the Cook County ( Chicago ) jail was “ the nation ’ s largest known source of coronavirus infections .” ( Williams and Ivory 2020 ). Perhaps not surprisingly , these conditions are thought to have contributed to recent reported riots ( Evelyn 2020 ). Other factors , whether precipitating or amplifying , are also implicated , such as serious overcrowding ( Beasley 2020 ).
The ongoing privatization of the U . S . prison system has presaged a drive towards monetization of incarceration coupled with a strong emphasis on cost containment ( Gotsch and Basti 2018 ; Wagner 2015 ; Ahmed 2019 ). A pre-COVID- 19 meta-analysis found no major benefits of private ( for-profit ) prisons over public ones ( Lundahl et al . 2009 ). That study did not , of course , consider the resilience of the prison population to hazards at the scope and scale of COVID-19 . It seems appropriate to ask , then , whether the failure of prisons to protect their prisoners is due to a failed economic model , an over-constrained physical environment , failed regulation and oversight , the prisoners themselves , or other factors .
Nursing Homes and Long-term Care Facilities
As of 2016 ( the latest year for which reliable figures are available ), approximately 1.35 million individuals resided in nursing homes , and another 0.81 million in residential care communities ( Harris-Kojetin et al . 2019 ). As of April 23 , 2020 , there had been over 10,000 COVID-related deaths in U . S . nursing homes ( including both residents and staff ) ( Kamp and Mathews 2020 ). Approximately one week later , that number had doubled , “ with more than 1 in 6 facilities nationwide now acknowledging infections among residents or staff ” ( Jacobs et al . 2020 ). Perhaps not surprisingly , numerous individuals — both inside and outside these nursing homes — have expressed frustration with the slow release of accurate information on the health of patients and staff .
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