Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Stay on top of the latest market trends
Subscribe to Axios Markets for the latest market trends and economic insights. Sign up for free.
Sports news worthy of your time
Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.
Tech news worthy of your time
Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.
Get the inside stories
Get an insider's guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Photo: Paul Chinn/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images
Illinois zip codes with higher rates of arrests and inmates who have been released from jail also had higher coronavirus case rates, according to a new study published in Health Affairs.
Why it matters: Although many communities have sped up the release of low-risk offenders as a coronavirus mitigation tactic, that doesn't cover arrest or pre-trial detention practices.
The big picture: We don't yet know how easily the coronavirus will spread through the massive crowds of people protesting racism and police brutality. But we do know that it has spread very easily so far through prisons — and that more than ten thousand of these protesters have been arrested, per AP.
By the numbers: Jail cycling has accounted for 55% of the varying rates of coronavirus infection across Chicago zip codes and for 37% of the variance across Illinois, the study found.
- Cycling through Cook County Jail was associated with 15.7% of all documented coronavirus cases in the state as of April 19.
- "Jail cycling far exceeds race, poverty, public transit utilization, and population density as a predictor of variance," the authors write.
The bottom line: "It is possible that, as arrested individuals are exposed to high-risk spaces for infection in jails and then later released to their communities, the criminal justice system is turning them into potential disease vectors for their families, neighbors, and, ultimately, the general public," the authors add.
Go deeper: Coronavirus behind bars