Official websites use .gov The latest department data shows 82 prison staff members and 45 prisoners are currently positive for COVID-19, and a total of 4,177 staff and 10,768 prisoners have tested positive since the pandemic began. State Rep. Marcus Evans, Jr., D-Chicago, celebrates passage of a ballot question for a constitutional amendment protecting the right to unionize on the floor of the Illinois House of Representatives Wednesday. Heres some of whats on our to-do list. Illinois has granted the early release of about 3,000 incarcerated people since March, according to IDOC data. J.B. Pritzker last week claims that the states prison system has failed to protect medically vulnerable prisoners from COVID-19. Last April, a federal judge denied their emergency request, finding the state was not violating prisoners' constitutional rights. People In Jails, Prisons Will Be Vaccinated In Next Phase, State Confirms After Advocates Push, Jail, Prison Populations Must be Among First to Get COVID-19 Vaccine: Advocacy Groups, COVID-19 cases and deaths are surging again in Illinois prisons, as inmates and advocates call for more action, Prioritizing Vaccines for Prisoners is Good Public Policy, Illinois to expand testing of prison workers as inmate deaths, infections surge, Forgotten: Stateville inmates warn of rising COVID-19 outbreak behind bars, Lawsuit: Illinois Prisons Are Failing To Protect Inmates From COVID-19, Lawsuit: Pritzker, IDOC Failed to Protect Vulnerable Inmates from COVID-19. He cited the rising numbers and urged the department to act quickly because of an anticipated nationwide fall/winter surge, making a priority of prisons with large elderly populations, such as the one in Dixon. The bill passed 34 to 17 and now heads to the governors desk. Roger Hertzberg, 76, died of COVID-19 complications Sept. 24 at Robinson Correctional Center. "I am proud that Illinois is leading with compassion and bringing a restorative justice lens to criminal justice policy making. While this legislation is applicable to all who are currently incarcerated in Illinois, crime victims have the right to submit a victim statement to the PRB for consideration at a medical release hearing. A bill that would create an elected school board in Chicago advanced out of a Senate committee Wednesday on an 11 to 6 vote, clearing the way for that legislation to pass through the full chamber. She described a frantic several days just calling everybody at the prison, back and forth, in circles, basically. Relatives also called a nearby hospital, she said, but inmates at the hospital are listed as John Does, which added to the initial confusion. Inmates with at least nine months of their sentence remaining who are considered low-risk will recei. Gov. Citing his age and poor health, Grays lawyer made a final plea for mercy dated Nov. 5. SPRINGFIELD -- The Illinois Department of Corrections and a number of elderly and medically vulnerable prisoners seeking early release from state prisons due to COVID-19 reached a settlement Tuesday in a lawsuit brought by the inmates against the department. Isolated in solitary confinement as the pandemic swept through Illinois prisons, inmates diagnosed with mental illness are beyond the breaking point, setting fire to their cells and harming themselves after more than a year without adequate mental health care. His wife, Susan Hertzberg, 78, still in prison, is trying to get a compassionate early release due to her age, health problems and the virus. As of Monday night, 57 prisoners and 90 staff members were infected with the virus. Lester Mason, 76, at the home of his nephew in East Peoria on Dec. 14, 2020. He mentored younger men and ran an inmates chapter of the Jaycees charity, as well as other prison programs. At Stateville, all but three who died were serving life sentences for murder. It does not, however, include details about hospitalizations, contact tracing or fatalities. This report has been corrected to indicate that the state Senate had already passed the amendment. PNx SgXBN_]W*o!'13! ". To try to hinder the pandemics spread, IDOC brought in about 30 members of the Illinois National Guard to assist with routine health screenings and other duties at Stateville. J.B. Pritzker said the Corrections Department has consistently, reviewed its population foreligibilityto be grantedup to 180 daysof credit and claimed they have stepped up these efforts during the pandemic. (April 17) In Illinois, the governor signed an executive order that eases the "We cannot forget that people who might be incarcerated are still human beings and they are still people deserving basic human dignity and respect," said State Senator Jacqueline Collins (D-Chicago). WebGovernors in at least 11 states have issued executive orders that block new transfers into state prisons, allow early release for some prisoners, or both. For weeks, two houses in Illinois Vienna Correctional Center ran on generator power and had intermittent failures. Terminally ill incarcerated people would only be eligible if they have family able to care for them and are expected to die within 18 months, OConnor said, adding the new measure would be used when being imprisoned doesnt make a difference anymore., But state Sen. Terri Bryant pointed to cases in the states Department of Corrections where physicians said someone would imminently die over and over and over again.. by Wendy Sawyer , January 11, 2022 The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) has released a lot of new data over the past few weeks that help us finally see both State Sen. Robert Martwick, D-Chicago, urged his colleagues on the Senate Executive Committee Wednesday to pass the bill so legislators have vehicles for that potential compromise, but warned that he wouldnt let those negotiations stand in the way of the city getting an elected school board. Recently, Governor Pritzker announced that all staff working in Illinois prisons will have to be vaccinated for COVID-19 by mid-October. In addition, the state agreed that IDOC will continue to identify and evaluate medically vulnerable prisoners for release through legally available mechanisms, according to the terms of the settlement. The Illinois Department of Corrections agreed to use its best efforts to process the awards within the next month. There is no question that COVID was going to make it into the prisons. A representative of the Illinois Department of Corrections did not respond to a request for comment about the settlement. THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS MAINTAINS TWO COMPUTERIZED RECORD SYSTEMS. The epicenter of IDOC outbreaks in the first wave was at Stateville Correctional Center near Joliet, where 12 prisoners died in 4 weeks. They work tremendously hard under really difficult circumstances, Caumiant said. But until now, they have not used these tools, Mills said in a statement. If you are a member of the press, please contact our Director of Communications, Megan Groves, at megan@uplcchicago.org. That is the highest figure ever. SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Illinois officials on Monday reported the death of a state prison inmate from COVID-19 and acknowledged the difficulty they face in stopping the spread of the virus in a crowded correctional system. Chaney, who was granted a sentence commutation by Gov. J.B. Pritzker in late June after serving 31 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, is an artist whose work focuses on his experience as an African American. This can include circumstances where an individual may be non-ambulatory due to a spinal injury. "Governor Pritzker's prioritization of legislative reforms of the criminal justice system reinforces the importance of collaboration among Illinois agencies to cultivate positive change.". More than 1,000 Illinois prisoners to be released under COVID-19 lawsuit settlement, Civil rights attorneys launch legal challenge to free prisoners at risk of coronavirus, Aiming to predict COVID, future pandemics better, CDC opens infectious diseases forecasting center, Unmasked transit: Pritzker ends mask mandates in public transportation, airports, US mask mandate for planes, other travel voided by federal judge in Florida, Rising COVID-19 cases prompt warnings for Illinoisans to remain vigilant and remain up to date on vaccine shots, Dr. Ngozi Ezike to become CEO of Sinai Chicago hospital system, With COVID-19 cases rising, Pritzker still searching for public health chief to succeed Ezike, a hero during this pandemic, Lightfoot is out, Vallas and Johnson are in the April runoff, Chicago police officer dies after exchanging gunfire at close range with suspect in Gage Park, Analysis: How Lightfoot went from political rock star to rock bottom, Patrick Kane leaves Chicago with clear legacy: Blackhawks greatest player of all time, Mayor Lori Lightfoot was in a fight she couldnt have won, Northwestern falls to Penn State in OT for third consecutive loss, Bulls nearly blow 21-point lead but survive against Pistons, Defensive whiz Richard Zoller, high-flying Angelo Ciaravino help Mount Carmel take down Hyde Park. Suburban Crime It is still very much a real issue., Jennifer Soble, executive director of the Illinois Prison Project, which also represented the plaintiffs in the suit, said IDOC also is working on new policies regarding electronic detention, discretionary sentencing credits and others that will help thousands of other inmates as well.. Im tending to believe they did nothing but left him on the floor, she said, because he went straight from his cell to a hospital.. %PDF-1.3 That will result in the immediate release of over 1,000 prisoners, according to the Uptown Peoples Law Center. Up to 60 days will be given in the next month to prisoners deemed low and medium risk, the settlement states. IDOC officials said that when the virus is spreading in communities, staff may contract it at home and bring it into prisons. Illinois Prisons Are COVID-19 Hotspots. The effort includes a proposed class-action lawsuit filed Thursday in federal court, naming Gov. Watson Gray, 73, died of complications related to COVID-19 on Nov. 6, 2020, at Dixon Correctional Center. Camren Wynter hit a three-pointer with 0.7 seconds left to give Penn State a 68-65 victory against Northwestern. This legislation gives the PRB the authority to grant or deny a prisoner early release based on their medical incapacity or terminal illness. Eddie Caumiant, regional director of the union that includes state corrections employees, said the pandemic has exacerbated staffing shortages and some staff work multiple 16-hour double shifts a week., Linda Savage, 64, a nurse at Vienna Correctional Center in downstate Vienna, died Nov. 6, 2020, of complications related to COVID-19. But prisons are among the hardest places to protect. This on its face seems like a really nice idea but well be dealing with the negative fallout of an ill thought-out constitutional provision.. J.B. Pritker for failure to protect the health and safety of those in prison from COVID-19, outside the Thompson Center in Chicago on Dec. 15, 2020. J.B. Pritzker through executive clemency. The Senate passed a bill that could allow terminally ill prisoners Gray had lived behind bars for more than 40 years, serving a life sentence for hiring a relative to kill his business partner in 1978. Currently, 57 inmates and 90 employees have tested positive for COVID-19, the records show. An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice. WebIllinois The recidivism rate in Illinois within one year of release is 17% and within three years of release is 43%. As a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic spread rapidly through Illinois prisons this fall, 73-year-old Watson Gray made another plea to be released from Dixon Correctional Center, where new infections were rising. The move was criticized by some advocates of prisoners rights because of its deteriorated state, but state officials said repairs were made and public health officials inspected it. J.B. Pritzkers failure to release vulnerable prisoners from overcrowded facilities will cost unnecessary loss of life behind bars and in surrounding communities, say advocates and medical professionals. The Illinois Department of Corrections will identify medically vulnerable and elderly prisoners eligible for early release or electronic home monitoring. xWn6+f"E^,"zhzXYE6I~T8B=BSg73tOG##LXEO}n 1mRaIm2%.yM 7{j ! 8zvv|i(8 F+A17qnR=!ZupvWTu]=$n#noOzN"D,?DoW8}'^\ Click here to sign up for the Camren Wynter hit a three-pointer with 0.7 seconds left to give Penn State a 68-65 victory against Northwestern. The federal lawsuit asked the court to issue an emergency order that would have authorized the release of roughly 13,000 state prisoners. stream (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune), Lester Mason was released from Pontiac Correctional Center on Nov. 25 after spending 39 years in prison for armed robbery, his third such offense. Indiana Prisons in Illinois, nationally face staff shortages as correction officers quit amid COVID. The rate of deaths slowed tremendously after IDOC started universal testing and voluntary vaccinations of staff and inmates. Sadly, rather than engaging with the governor, AFSCME, the guards' union, immediately announced that it was opposed to any requirement that staff be vaccinated. WebThe Illinois Department of Corrections is a multicultural agency deeply committed to ensuring diversity, equity, and inclusion. Heres some of whats on our to-do list. (The Exoneration Project photo). Many of these men were convicted of horrific acts of violence, often in their youth. The IDOC denied a Tribune open-records request for information about Bourbons death, citing confidentiality exemptions. At a Georgia state House of Representatives hearing on prison conditions in September, a corrections officer called in to testify, interrupting his shift to tell lawmakers how dire conditions had become. He argues the primary cause of the surge is staff infections and said IDOC should have responded with more urgency to Rabas testing recommendations. I want it [to be] clear that while I will continue to negotiate in good faith till the 11th hour of this General Assembly, I will not go quietly without passing something for an elected school board this year, said the Northwest Side Democrat, who is a sponsor of another elected school board measure. UPLCcollaborated on a policy paperwith the Chicago Community Bond Fund, Equip for Equality, First Defense Legal Aid, Teamwork Englewood, Warehouse Workers for Justice, and Westside Justice Centerto advocate for Illinois prisoners to receive COVID-19 vaccines. The outages made it harder to use the shared bathroom, one of the few places they could wash their hands. This commitment is at the forefront of our Read more here! AT FINAL DISCHARGE, THE ADULT PAROLE SERVICES FILES ARE SENT BACK TO THE INSTITUTION WHERE THEY ARE STORED AND EVENTUALLY MICROFILMED. The legislation was named after Joe Coleman, a father, decorated veteran, and active member in his community who had terminal cancer. The Illinois Department of Corrections and Gov. One staff member a 64-year-old nurse near retirement also died. Justin L. Fowler/The State Journal-Register via AP. But they described widespread illness, unsanitary conditions and struggles to get tested and receive adequate medical care. Speaking to the Senate panel on Friday, Jeffreys said strategies developed for the Stateville outbreak, such as deep cleaning, temperature checks, contact tracing and masking staff and inmates, have been duplicated systemwide. Roger and Susan Hertzberg before being convicted of marijuana trafficking for hauling nearly 50 pounds of pot through Illinois in 2012. (Youngrae Kim / Chicago Tribune). Bedi, though, said there are reports that a significant number of correctional officers are refusing vaccines, which continues to pose a risk to those in congregate settings. INSTEAD, THERE IS A FIXED RELEASE DATE, ASSUMING GOOD TIME IS SERVED, SET BY LAW AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PRISON TERM. Mason said he spent the decades reading novels, writing to his family and mentoring young inmates. 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