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As Texas Prisons Struggle With Coronavirus Cases, Paroled Inmates Told They Can't Leave

Wire fences near buildings of the Federal Medical Center prison in Fort Worth, Texas, Saturday, May 16, 2020. Hundreds of inmates inside the facility have tested positive for COVID-19. (LM Otero/AP)
Wire fences near buildings of the Federal Medical Center prison in Fort Worth, Texas, Saturday, May 16, 2020. Hundreds of inmates inside the facility have tested positive for COVID-19. (LM Otero/AP)

The coronavirus continues to spread within prisons in Texas — a state that’s seen more inmates die of COVID-19 than any other state in the country.

This week 500 women at the Federal Medical Center-Carswell in Fort Worth tested positive for the virus, after months of complaints about unsafe conditions from inmates there. And as of last week, the Stiles Unit in Beaumont and the Coffield Unit in East Texas had more than 1,400 infections between them.

Now, thousands of prisoners eligible for parole find themselves in limbo, being told they can’t leave because of the pandemic. They say the situation is a deadly one.

Texas Tribune reporter Jolie McCullough joins host Tonya Mosley to discuss the situation.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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