Dozens of U.S. prisoners die in jail after cleared for parole

Dallas, June 23 (RHC)-- In the U.S. state of Texas, a new report on the impacts of the pandemic inside prisons reveals at least 18 people who had been cleared for parole last year died of COVID-19 — and some two dozen others died of chronic health issues — before their scheduled release.  That follows at least 26 Texas prisoners who died in 2019 after they were approved for parole. 

The report, published by the University of Texas at Austin, highlights a pattern of delaying the release of incarcerated people who’ve been paroled for as much as one year.

In related news, The Marshall Project reports some 31,000 federal prisoners have sought compassionate release since the start of the pandemic.  The U.S. Bureau of Prisons approved just 36 of those appeals.