Stopping covid-19 behind bars was an achievable moral imperative. We failed.

Covid-19 is rampaging through the country’s jails and prisons. As of last week, the Marshall Project documented more than 9,400 cases of covid-19 in U.S. jails and prisons, with more than 140 deaths. A Twitter account tracking prison data puts the figure higher — more than 18,000 staff and prisoners infected in the 45 states providing data. The known infection rate in jails in prisons is about 2½ times higher than in the general population, and as of this week, eight of the 10 largest outbreaks in the country have been at correctional facilities.

And even these grim numbers are assuredly low. As with most other things, when it comes to coronavirus testing, prisoners are a low priority. For example, as of this week, 29 prisoners in New Jersey are confirmed to have died from the virus. But the state has tested less than 1 percent of its incarcerated population. Despite an outbreak at a jail in Miami, Florida has only tested 615 prisoners, with 208 positive. But that’s from an incarcerated population of 95,000. And the state’s Department of Corrections only began posting the data after several facilities were caught trying to hide virus-related deaths.