Hundreds dead. Thousands infected. Stories from the inside.

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Disregard of Safety

The impossibility of social distancing, the overall unsanitary conditions, a lack of PPE, and negligence on behalf of correctional officers are some of the many reasons safety was compromised in facilities.

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“I’ve lost family members since this pandemic has started. Haven’t got to see them. And, you know, it - it’s rough for us, too.

Incarcerated Person, State Prisons, 11.06.2020

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COVID-19 has decimated California prisons and jails. PrisonPandemic is a digital archive of stories from people incarcerated, their family members and loved ones, and the staff who work in these facilities.

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Across California

There are 172 carceral facilities throughout the state, including county jails, state prisons, federal prisons, and immigration detention facilities.

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State Prisons

There are 34 prisons throughout California, housing approximately 96,000 people. An estimated 92% of incarcerated people have tested positive for COVID-19.

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Federal Prisons

There are 12 federal prisons throughout California. An estimated 35% of incarcerated people in these facilities have tested positive for COVID-19.

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County Jails

Each of California's 58 counties administers their own jail system. It is impossible to know the cumulative toll of COVID-19. We do know Los Angeles County jails have the highest known infection rates in the country.

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ICE Detention Centers

There are seven detention centers throughout California. A reported 2,602 incarcerated people in seven facilities have tested positive for COVID-19.

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I understand that, by sharing my story here, I am consenting to have the story placed in this website repository and available to the public. Anyone will be able to read (or listen to a narrated version) of my story and to use what they hear for any purpose. Personally identifying information will be removed from my story, so I will never be able to ask UCI PrisonPandemic to remove my story from the website repository. I am also waiving and releasing the University from any claims or lawsuits of any kind for any reason related to my story. By checking this box, I confirm that I am at least 18 years old and I am freely and knowingly submitting my story.

ABOUT PRISONPANDEMIC™

By providing a digital archive of stories, UCI PrisonPandemic™ is bringing greater transparency to the COVID-19 crisis in prisons and jails. Made up of faculty and students at the University of California, Irvine, it is an ongoing initiative to collect stories from people incarcerated in California carceral facilities, their family members and loved ones, and the staff who work in these facilities. We will continue to add more stories as we receive them. If you use any material from this site, please reference or link to prisonpandemic.uci.edu. In creating PrisonPandemic, our hope is that the archive will outlive the COVID-19 pandemic and serve as a resource for understanding the unequal toll of the criminal justice system in the United States.

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