COVID-19

Updates

Spread & Mitigation of COVID-19 in PA Prisons

Click on any county for more information on prison response during COVID-19. Information is updated every other week. Click here for information on state prisons.

Toggle between maps to see how prison populations in county prisons have declined in the first five weeks of the COVID-19 outbreak and to see which state and county prisons have had confirmed COVID-19 cases.

This map was created with assistance from the Vera Institute

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If you have a question related to Coronavirus in PA prisons and jails, please refer to our FAQs below. If you do not see an answer to your question, or if you have a specific question regarding a loved one, please click below to submit.

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Recent Updates

Resources

Please visit the following links to keep yourselves informed on what preventive steps you should take during this time.

SCI Testing Information: PA Department of Corrections COVID-19 Dashboard

Video Visits: How to Schedule a Video Visit With A Loved One at a PA State Correctional Institution

Communicating With Loved Ones On The Inside: What to know when your loved one is incarcerated during COVID-19

Memo to County Commissioners:

Recommendations for County Commissioners mitigating the spread of COVID-19

Resources for Returning Citizens: The Philadelphia Re-entry Coalition COVID-19 Resource List

County Health Updates: Pennsylvania Department of Health COVID-19 County Updates

General Coronavirus Information: Center for Disease Control COVID-19 Website

Media Mentions

Pa. Supreme Court refuses to order blanket release of prison inmates due to coronavirus, April 03, 2020

"The state Supreme Court on Friday rejected a plea by the Pennsylvania Prison Society to order a blanket release of some grades of prison inmates to protect them from the coronavirus. The high court did, however, order county president judges to confer with other county officials “to review immediately the current capabilities of the county correctional institutions in their judicial districts to address the spread of COVID-19.”

Prisons and the coronavirus is the topic of today’s Coronavirus Q & A on Facebook Live, April 10, 2020

"Claire Shubik-Richards, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Prison Society, appeared on PennLive’s Coronavirus Q & A on Facebook Live to discuss what’s being done to protect prisoners in Pennsylvania and what we know now, and whether the virus has already started to claim lives."

Life Has Moved to Zoom. Can Prison Visitation Do the Same?, April 28, 2020

“Under normal circumstances, the Society offers a transportation program, bussing people around the state to visit incarcerated loved ones. With that on hold, it’s been helpful to offer an alternative to allow people to connect face to face with their loved ones, said Noelle Gambale, who’s been helping people troubleshoot Zoom visitation on behalf of the organization.”

More News

Cancellations

All visitor buses from the Prison Society are suspended until further notice.

The Department of Correction has suspended ALL visits statewide until further notice.

Our Hope Alive meetings are cancelled until further notice.

Our Parenting classes are cancelled until further notice.

Contact Information

PA State Correctional Facilities Contact Information

County Correctional Facilities Contact Information

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