Bid to boost virus testing in N.Y. jails

As New York continues to see a surge in coronavirus cases, criminal justice groups are urging the state to drastically ramp up testing within its prisons.

The Department of Corrections and Community Supervision finished testing the entire prison population by late November, officials said.

As of Wednesday, the agency has tested more than 35,877 in state custody, with another 183 tests pending.

Yet the department needs to test much more frequently in order to prevent COVID-19 from wreaking havoc within the prison system, said Alexander Horwitz, executive director of New Yorkers United for Justice.

“Without immediate re-testing of the incarcerated population and a new approach to combat COVID-19, [the department] risks the safety of not just all incarcerated New Yorkers, but also their employees, their families, and communities throughout the state,” said Horwitz, whose nonprofit has tracked prison data throughout the pandemic.

“It’s clear that the agency’s current approach will lead to more COVID-19 outbreaks at their facilities and continue to put public health in jeopardy.”

The agency tests prisoners who show symptoms of the virus as well as those flagged through contact tracing — including people who are asymptomatic, Corrections Department spokesman Thomas Mailey said.

It has also implemented an asymptomatic surveillance testing plan, which includes testing people from different housing units at every facility each weekday.