New Jersey is now offering voluntary COVID-19 vaccinations to corrections officers and inmates in all state prisons, but questions remain about whether there will be enough participation to keep workers and prisoners safe as the virus continues to spread.
The state's vaccination effort — already plagued by a confusing public rollout and not enough supply — takes on an added sense of urgency inside prisons, where tight spaces and a high frequency of chronic medical conditions make staff and inmates more vulnerable to the virus.
When COVID crept into Garden State prisons in the first wave of the virus's surge last spring, the state tallied a higher death rate than any other state.