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UPDATE: Data Reporting & Quality Scorecard, Round 2
In March, we released our Data Reporting & Quality Scorecards assessing the transparency of each of the 53 major state and federal agencies. On April 12th, we reassessed the scores and grades for each agency. In the first round of assessments, 75% of correctional agencies received an F. In this round, 81% of agencies did.
Recent Posts
April 15th, 2021
Data Projects Submit Joint Testimony to Congress on the Bureau of Prisons’ Mismanagement of the Pandemic in Federal Prisons
The UCLA Law COVID Behind Bars Data Project, the COVID Prison Project, and the COVID, Corrections, and Oversight Project at the University of Texas at Austin submitted joint testimony to Congress outlining failures by the Federal Bureau of Prisons to manage and report on COVID-19 in its facilities.
April 15th, 2021
Vaccine Hesitancy Behind Bars: Some Causes and Concerns
A new MMWR study finds that distrust of correctional institutions and lack of information are leading causes for COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among incarcerated people. Correctional agencies must take crucial steps to inspire confidence in the vaccine and encourage uptake of this life-saving inoculation.
April 7th, 2021
SARS-CoV-2 Variants go to Prison: What Now?
In the last two months, the presence of SARS-CoV-2 variants has been reported in three prison systems. The variants are more contagious and can accelerate viral spread. To avoid a corresponding increase in infections and deaths, corrections officials must adopt a multi-pronged strategy of regular testing, vaccination, and decarceration.
April 2nd, 2021
The Federal Bureau of Prisons Is Even Less Transparent Than We’d Thought
In recent weeks, the BOP has reported a decrease in total COVID-19 cases — an illogical trend for a number that presumably can only increase over time. An agency spokesperson informed us that the drop in reported cases was not, in fact, an error. Rather, it was the outcome of an intentional reporting choice.
March 30th, 2021
Two Months (And Counting) Without Critical COVID-19 Data from Pennsylvania Prisons
In January, the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections removed its data dashboard due to “technical challenges.” More than two months later, we’re still missing critical data.
March 25th, 2021
Data Project Adds ICE Detention Page to its Website
This week, we added a page to our website showing the spread of COVID-19 among people in ICE detention.
March 22nd, 2021
“An Afterthought”: A Few of The Ways That The Prison Law Office Has Renewed Longstanding Battles For Prisoner Rights and Safety During the Pandemic
The Prison Law Office has adapted its longstanding battles against overcrowding, inadequate health care, and other dangerous conditions in jails and prisons during the COVID-19 pandemic.
March 17th, 2021
Missing the Mark: Data Reporting & Quality Scorecard
We created a scorecard to assess 53 state and federal carceral agencies on what COVID-19 data they report and how they report them. 41 agencies — more than 75% — failed.
March 9th, 2021
Data Project Adds Vaccine Counts to Data Dashboard
We've added a table to our home page showing the numbers of incarcerated people and staff in certain state and federal systems who have received at least a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
March 3rd, 2021
Prisons mistreat loved ones’ belongings after their deaths, some families say
Families report that correctional staff have mishandled or neglected their relatives’ personal effects after their deaths, adding pain to already tragic circumstances. During the pandemic, more and more families have become familiar with the especially devastating consequences of losing a loved one behind bars, whether of COVID-19 or of other causes.
February 25th, 2021
New Analysis Reveals Devastating Toll of COVID-19 on Prison Employees
A new article published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine has found that staff of U.S. prisons are three times as likely to contract COVID-19 as the general U.S. population. The study’s authors cross-referenced data collected by the UCLA Law COVID Behind Bars Data Project with publicly available personnel data from state and federal departments of corrections to measure the scale of what they called an “unprecedented occupational hazard” for employees of American prisons.
February 18th, 2021
Who’s Getting the Vaccine Behind Bars?
As COVID-19 vaccines are becoming available to more and more people across the United States, one especially vulnerable population is often left behind: people who are incarcerated.
February 17th, 2021
Which State and Federal Carceral Systems Report COVID-19 Data?
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the UCLA Law COVID Behind Bars Data Project has been collecting COVID-19 data from the online dashboards maintained by correctional agencies nationwide. These agencies vary in what and how much data they publicly report. We’ve created visualizations to highlight the gaps in reporting by state and federal correctional agencies as of February 17, 2021.
February 16th, 2021
Vaccine Guide in Prison Legal News
This month, the UCLA Law COVID Behind Bars Data Project published an article in Prison Legal News addressing common concerns about the coronavirus vaccines among incarcerated people deciding whether to be vaccinated.