The number of federal and state prison inmates who have been infected with the coronavirus is expected to blow past 50,000 in the coming days as cases spike nationwide, according to criminal justice experts.

The Justice Action Network, a bipartisan criminal justice reform organization, predicted Wednesday that the total number of cases in all prisons, not including county jails, will hit 50,000 “within days.”

Recommended Stories

Bureau of Prisons must enter the 21st century to face modern challenges

ACLU sues for release of federal inmates from prison where coronavirus killed five

Here’s how we can flatten the curve behind bars