Pa. Department of Corrections reports 3 covid deaths in 2 days

Prison officials in Pennsylvania reported three inmate deaths in two days as the active covid-19 case count in state correctional facilities neared 1,800.

The Department of Corrections reported two deaths Friday, at SCIs Mercer and Smithfield and one on Saturday at SCI-Pine Grove. Two of the incarcerated individuals were in their 70s, and one was in his 30s.

“We continue our battle against this dangerous invisible enemy,” Secretary of Corrections John Wetzel said in three separate statements acknowledging the deaths. “With fall upon us, we are experiencing a resurgence. That is why it is vital to continue our aggressive mitigation efforts. We cannot let our guard down.”

One man, who’d been incarcerated at Pine Grove since January 2019, was 38. He’d been serving a 1.5 to 5-year sentence for receiving stolen property.

The two men in their 70s were serving sentences for sexually violent crimes, spokeswoman Susan McNaughton said.

As of Sunday, there were 1,766 active covid-19 cases among inmates across the state’s prison system. At least 38 have died since the pandemic began, including 20 just in November. Eight of those were at SCI-Laurel Highlands, which acts in part as a long-term care facility for the prison system’s oldest and sickest incarcerated individuals.

There were 414 active cases of the virus among prisoners as of Sunday night along with 55 among staff. That’s more than half of the facility’s inmate population.

The state corrections system reported its first covid-19 death April 8. Two days later, Gov. Tom Wolf announced a temporary reprieve program that had the potential to temporarily release up to 1,500 inmates in an effort to slow the spread of the virus.

The program applies only to state prison inmates who have been identified as non-violent and were scheduled for release in the next nine months. It also applies to those who are considered highly vulnerable to the virus and scheduled for release within 12 months.

So far, 159 inmates have been released as part of the temporary reprieve program, with the governor signing off on the last reprieve on June 4.