MA Prisons, Jails Coronavirus Rates 'Exceptionally High': Study

Massachusetts jails and prisons have been reporting low COVID-19 infection rates in facilities — but a new study is suggesting the number of positive cases is much higher than it seems, even higher than the statewide rate.

Dr. Monik Jiménez, a researcher at Brigham and Women's Hospital, authored the study that found incarcerated infection rates in the state were three times higher than the Massachusetts general population and five times higher than the U.S. population.

The study said the rates could be much higher in county jails, as limited testing "likely underestimates the true infection rate in county jails." Testing and reporting to the public is mandatory in state correctional facilities, but reporting is not mandatory in county jails.

The biggest issue the study points to is the reporting of COVID-19 data from jails and prisons. Not all facilities in the state test or report data the same way, which makes tracking the infection rate across the Commonwealth's incarcerated population difficult. The study stresses that a standardized method of testing and reporting should be adopted to get the best results.

Jiménez told WBUR that the lack of transparency in the testing and reporting process leaves many researchers in the dark. "You don't know what you don't know," Jiménez told WBUR.

"Rates of COVID-19 in Massachusetts jails and prisons are alarmingly high and require urgent action," the study reads, "Access to testing without coercion, decarceration, and contact tracing are necessary to decrease harm from COVID-19 to incarcerated people and their communities."

Jiménez's study isn't the first or the last to call for increased and standardized testing in jails and prisons. The Centers for Disease Control issued a report on Aug. 21 outlining the importance of widespread testing in jails and prisons. The report suggests that instead of only testing those who appear symptomatic, to issue widespread testing in an effort to get ahead of the virus and better control its spread in facilities.