Risk and implications of COVID-19 among the community supervised population

Research summary Despite growing national awareness that COVID-19 in jails and prisons constitutes a public health emergency in the United States, remarkably little attention has been paid to understanding how the virus affects people under community supervision. We used data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) to explore differences in the extent to which men under community supervision are vulnerable to COVID-19 and have access to care during the pandemic, relative to men who are not involved with the U.S. criminal legal system. Results from this study highlight the greater levels of risk for serious illness or death from COVID-19 and the disproportionate lack of health insurance among men under community supervision. Policy implications Jurisdictions across the United States are currently relying on decarceration to contain the spread of COVID-19 in jails and prisons. Decarceration efforts alone, however, are insufficient for addressing the spread of COVID-19 among people involved with the U.S. criminal legal system. People released from jails and prisons or diverted from incarceration during the pandemic must be given the opportunity to receive the COVID-19 vaccination upon their transitions. Likewise, individuals under community supervision must be prioritized for immediate vaccination against COVID-19. People involved with the U.S. criminal legal system should also be eligible for emergency Medicaid during the COVID-19 crisis, and their health insurance coverage should remain available beyond the pandemic.