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COVID-19
Updates
Spread & Mitigation of
COVID-19 in PA Prisons
How to use this map
Click on any county for regularly updated news and information on COVID-19 infections and vaccination in county jails and state prisons (SCIs).
Toggle between maps to see
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which county prisons are vaccinating people in custody and staff
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COVID-19 cases among people in custody and staff in state and county prisons
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the total number of COVID-19 deaths in state prisons among people in custody and staff and
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how prison populations in county prisons declined in 2020
Note:
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Vaccinations of staff and people in custody have begun in all SCIs.
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COVID-19 infection data in SCIs includes both people in custody and staff and is updated daily based on data reported on the Department of Corrections' COVID-19 Dashboard.
This map was created with assistance from the Vera Institute
Ask A Question
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.
Recent Updates
Resources
SCI COVID Policies: Updated March 7, 2022
Visiting Guidelines: English or Spanish
Memo to County Commissioners:
Recommendations on opening for in-person visiting
County Jail In-Person Visiting Updates: This resource is regularly updated with the latest in-person and virtual visiting policies at county jails
SCI Video Visits: How to Schedule a Video Visit With A Loved One at a PA State Correctional Institution
The Marshall Project: What People in Prison Need to Know About the COVID-19 Vaccine
PPS COVID-19 Vaccine Information Sheet: What you need to know
SCI Testing Information: PA Department of Corrections COVID-19 Dashboard
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
Media Mentions
COVID is ravaging the incarcerated. Where are the solutions? Generocity, January 22, 2021
Despite all the usual measures to reduce the spread of COVID in congregate settings — mask-wearing, social distancing, increased sanitizing, lockdowns — Secretary of the Department of Corrections John Wetzel reports that the number of incarcerated people who are infected is increasing
Pa. prisons don’t always tell families when inmates are sick The Citizen's Voice, January 18, 2021
“If the DOC has shown that they can go cell-to-cell and get important (stimulus) documentation completed, they should be lauded for it,” said Claire Shubik-Richards, executive director of the Pennsylvania Prison Society, the state’s unofficial ombudsman for prisoners and their families. “That level of competency means they could go cell-to-cell and get people to think about who they want notified, and also afford the opportunity list more than one name.”
Coronavirus raging through Pa. and Lehigh Valley prisons, infecting guards as well as inmates The Morning Call, January 2, 2021
"Advocacy groups like FAMM and the Pennsylvania Prison Society say the immediate, safe reduction of the prison population is imperative to saving lives."
Cancellations
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All visitor buses from the Prison Society are suspended until further notice.
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Our Parenting classes are cancelled until further notice.