eknopsnyder@tribdem.com Prisons are key battlegrounds in the war against COVID-19, hot spots for the virus and sources of angst for families of staff and inmates alike. An Oct. 2 riot at the Cambria County Prison was sparked by elevated tension during a lockdown prompted by rising case levels, Warden Christian Smith said then. The jail had seen 140 cases among inmates in the previous two weeks. On Friday, the State Correctional Institution at Somerset confirmed its first virus death for an inmate. The state Department of Corrections reported 274 inmate cases and 75 staff cases at SCI-Somerset at weekâs end. Earlier this week, family members voiced concerns over conditions at the Federal Correctional Institution at Loretto, which as of Tuesday had the second-most inmate cases in the national prison system at 445.