According to the Associated Press and the Marshall Project, one-fifth of the prisoners in the U.S. tested positive for COVID-19. The rate of infection among prisoners is three times higher than the public, and the mortality rate is twice as higher. The report also shows that at least 275,000 prisoners were infected with COVID-19, and more than 1,700 have died. In many states, like South Dakota, Kansas, and Arkansas, more than half the prisoners tested positive for COVID-19. In October, the American Civil Liberties Union sued the federal government for its "failed response to the spread of COVID-19 in prisons and jails."