Association of Jail Decarceration and Anticontagion Policies With COVID-19 Case Growth Rates in US Counties.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

Mass incarceration is known to foster infectious disease outbreaks, amplification of infectious diseases in surrounding communities, and exacerbation of health disparities in disproportionately policed communities. To date, however, policy interventions intended to achieve epidemic mitigation in US communities have neglected to account for decarceration as a possible means of protecting public health and safety.

Objective

To evaluate the association of jail decarceration and government anticontagion policies with reductions in the spread of SARS-CoV-2.

Design, setting, and participants

This cohort study used county-level data from January to November 2020 to analyze COVID-19 cases, jail populations, and anticontagion policies in a panel regression model to

SUBMITTER: Reinhart E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8414192 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature