WASHINGTON –Howard University School of Social Work Professor Clinique Marshall Chapman, MSW has a wealth of experience and expertise working on behalf of incarcerated populations. Chapman, a forensic social worker, is Howard's latest faculty expert to join #BisonInTheKnow for a discussion on the impact COVID-19 is having in prisons.

“Black people are incarcerated at a rate five times more than white people,” said Chapman. “The rate at which we’re dying from the coronavirus is remarkably high as it relates to this disparity, with states such as Louisiana and cities such as Chicago, reporting that 70 percent of their COVID related deaths are black people.”

Chapman says the rate of deaths for black people who are incarcerated will mirror this same disproportionality because of systemic racism. According to Chapman, small spaces and overcrowding in prisons make it nearly impossible to follow the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) guidance around social distancing.

“These settings are notorious for their lack of cleanliness, overcrowding, and overall inhumane conditions,” she said. “When one person gets sick, it spreads like wildfire. Prisons and jails are being referred to as petri dishes for this virus.”

According to Chapman, a large percentage of incarcerated populations are detained in jails while awaiting conviction, meaning they have not been proven guilty of any crime. Others are incarcerated because of technical violations to probation or parole for past convictions. Rather than being at home with their families and communities, many are incarcerated for things like the inability to pay a fine.

Additionally, Chapman highlighted the fact that many people enter the prison system with unresolved trauma that is only exacerbated by prison conditions, especially with the onset of widespread illness. As the need for services that support incarcerated populations grow, Chapman says educational, vocational, religious and mental health programs are on pause. As a result, Chapman agrees with other experts who are calling for inmates to be released in order to save lives.

“CDC guidelines for prisons and jails, coupled with the recommendations of expert organizations such as the Vera Institute of Justice and the ACLU, are stating that de-densifying the prisons and jails by way of early release is the best case scenario,” said Chapman.

For more information and more recommendations on how to disrupt the disproportionate impact coronavirus is having on incarcerated people, watch the latest Bison In The Know video below.

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About Howard University

Founded in 1867, Howard University is a private, research university that is comprised of 13 schools and colleges. Students pursue studies in more than 120 areas leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University operates with a commitment to Excellence in Truth and Service and has produced one Schwarzman Scholar, three Marshall Scholars, four Rhodes Scholars, 11 Truman Scholars, 25 Pickering Fellows and more than 70 Fulbright Scholars. Howard also produces more on-campus African-American Ph.D. recipients than any other university in the United States. For more information on Howard University, visit www.howard.edu.

Media Contact: Misha Cornelius, misha.cornelius@howard.edu