WASHINGTON, D.C. — In light of media reports detailing outbreaks of coronavirus at prisons in multiple states, U.S. Senator Bob Casey, D-Pa., sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice pressing Attorney General William Barr to explain the agency’s preparedness and response plans to prevent further spread of COVID-19.

This letter is a follow-up to a letter sent on March 20 to the Bureau of Prisons regarding its inmate transfer policies amid COVID-19, significant lack of personal protective equipment for correctional officers and concerns about social distancing procedures.

“An outbreak at a BOP facility will impact far more people than simply those inside the facility. If the staff and general prison population are not adequately tested, they will be more likely to unknowingly spread the disease to other staff members and incarcerated individuals,” Casey wrote.

Casey is also concerned about the disease spreading the outside of the facilities.

“Furthermore, without proper PPE, those correctional officers will then subsequently be more likely to take the virus home with them and spread it unknowingly to their family and friends,” he explained. “Infected individuals from BOP facilities may also strain local healthcare facilities, particularly in small rural communities similar to the towns scattered across Pennsylvania housing BOP facilities.

“It would be deeply irresponsible and significantly damaging to any community housing a BOP facility if a COVID-19 outbreak were to occur at that facility without the DOJ ensuring that complete and comprehensive preventive measures were being fully deployed at BOP facilities across the country.”