On May 12, 2020, U.S. District Court Judge Michael Shea for the District of Connecticut issued an order directing officials at the federal prison in Danbury to identify inmates with health conditions that make them vulnerable to the coronavirus and to provide a list to the court in about 13 days. The order follows a class action lawsuit filed by nearly 1,000 inmates who claimed that they are being confined in unconstitutionally dangerous conditions.

Judge Shea did not rule on the inmate’s request for the mass transfer of inmates to either home confinement or other institutions and the appointment of a special master to enforce social distancing measures in the institution, but did order an expedited hearing schedule for questions.

Ballotpedia is tracking how states are releasing inmates in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

So far:
• Twenty states have released inmates at the state level.
• Thirteen states have released inmates on the local level.
• Eleven states have not released inmates due to coronavirus.
• Two states have prohibited the release of certain inmate populations.
• Four states have temporarily released certain populations of inmates.