There are 138 inmates at a West Virginia correctional facility who have tested positive for the coronavirus out of a total of 2,100 prisoners housed there, the state's Department of Health and Human Services reported over the weekend.
Some 200 prisoners have not yet been tested at the Mount Olive Correctional Complex.
Prisons nationwide have reported outbreaks of COVID-19 as cramped conditions in correctional facilities have proven to be prime breeding ground for spreading the virus, according to The Hill.
Thousands of inmates across the country have come down with the virus.
Some states have freed thousands of inmates serving time for nonviolent offenses after activists called for the temporary release of some prisoners to alleviate the crowded conditions in the correctional facilities.
The American Civil Liberties Union said in March that officials should "increase the use of compassionate release" to cut down on overcrowding in prisons and work to ensure that those who remain in jail are protected by the necessary safety measures.
“The same social distancing principles guiding public and private sector responses should guide the response [in prisons] and ensure that facilities do not unnecessarily bring people into confined spaces that may lead to greater exposure to coronavirus,” the ACLU wrote in a letter to Attorney General William Barr. “Deliberate action must be taken to meet the responsibility to ensure the health of those incarcerated in the federal system."
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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