Poor Conditions at Pennsylvania Jail Heighten COVID-19 Concerns

Twelve people at George W. Hill Correctional Facility (GHCF) in Delaware County, Pennsylvania recently tested positive for COVID-19, raising serious concerns. Jails and prisons are incubators of infectious diseases like COVID-19, but conditions at GHCF make it particularly vulnerable to outbreaks, putting people inside and outside the facility at risk.

Human Rights Watch visited the jail in October 2019 as part of research into high incarceration rates across the United States for probation and parole violations, often for minor conduct like missing required meetings, using drugs, and moving residences without...