But prisons are among the hardest places to protect. Gov. %PDF-1.3 To stay up-to-date on our work,subscribe to our newsletter. Of the 16,000 inmates who responded, 13% alleged they sought health care related to COVID-19 in the prior week but had not received a response. Inmates with at least nine months of their sentence remaining who are considered low-risk will recei. Some say they should be vaccinated with the same urgency as others in congregate settings, such as nursing homes. This legislation gives the PRB the authority to grant or deny a prisoner early release based on their medical incapacity or terminal illness. The pandemic hit Illinois prison system hard last spring, with cases mushrooming and fatalities reported at more than a dozen facilities before cases leveled off late in the year. (The Exoneration Project photo) Gray is one of at And a dangerous backlog of people in county jails awaiting transfer would be reduced. UPLC is tracking COVID-19 cases in IDOC. State Rep. Marcus Evans, the sponsor of the amendment, said it would not change existing Illinois law but make permanent the rights workers already have. At last count, more than 3,200 staff and 6,900 inmates have been infected since the beginning of the pandemic, according to Dec. 22 state data. There were physicians that would tell us that a particular incarcerated individual was going to pass very soon and then, two, three years later the person is still living, said the Murphysboro Republican. WebThe Illinois Department of Corrections is a multicultural agency deeply committed to ensuring diversity, equity, and inclusion. May 12, 2020: Arkansas state officials announced that 300 inmates had been released from state prisons, and the states Board of Corrections have made over 1,200 inmates eligible for parole since April. A lock ( Lawmakers pass bill on early release of terminally ill prisoners, advance effort to put collective bargaining rights into constitution, State lawmakers address cannabis licensing, Asian American history, free menstrual hygiene products, Fact-check: State senator makes the grade with remark about public support for elected Chicago school board, Sexual assault in schools, life-sustaining medical treatment, marriage license language all addressed in state bills, Aiming to predict COVID, future pandemics better, CDC opens infectious diseases forecasting center, Unmasked transit: Pritzker ends mask mandates in public transportation, airports. IDOC officials in early December began rolling out the testing program in which each worker is tested at least once a month, with the frequency based on the positivity rate of the prisons county. Officials also did not respond to a request for comment on the case. WebUNDER THE LAW EFFECTING THIS CHANGE, PRISON TERMS ARE ESTABLISHED FOR SERIOUS OFFENSES AND FOR SUPERVISED RELEASE TERMS, AND J.B. Pritzkers decision to release inmates as the spread of COVID-19 continues in the states prisons, including questions about transparency. There was so much information that was coming and we had to figure it out for ourselves because there was just no guidance for correctional settings as it relates to this outbreak, he said. Their complaints echo a survey conducted in April and early May by the John Howard Association, a prison watchdog group. Watson Gray, 73, died of complications related to COVID-19 on Nov. 6, 2020, at Dixon Correctional Center. "Thanks to the many advocates and General Assembly sponsors Senator John Connor and Representative Will Guzzardi, more families will get to say goodbye to their loved ones the way we all hope to get to when the time comes: together. A USER'S GUIDE TO THE COLLECTION, MAINTENANCE, AND AVAILABILITY OF ADULT PAROLE AND SUPERVISED RELEASE DATA FOR ILLINOIS INMATES IS PRESENTED. J.B. Pritzker arent doing enough to protect elderly and medically vulnerable inmates from COVID-19 inside state prison facilities, according to a lawsuit that claims inadequate testing and sanitation supplies have created conditions where the virus can spread like wildfire.. Stateville Correctional Center, a maximum security state prison for men in Crest Hill, on March 30, 2020. Advocates for prisoners rights say the states delays in broadening staff testing, releasing thousands of medically vulnerable or other nonviolent prisoners and better enforcing a staff mask mandate have led to widespread infections and more deaths. But the administration hasnt provided a timeline, said Alyana Alfaro, a spokeswoman for the governor. Illinois will soon begin vaccinating prisoners against COVID-19. Mason was freed from Pontiac Correctional Center on Nov. 25 by Gov. Chaney, who was granted a sentence commutation by Gov. Press Release - Tuesday, February 21, 2023 One staff member a 64-year-old nurse near retirement also died. IDOC officials said that when the virus is spreading in communities, staff may contract it at home and bring it into prisons. Lester Mason, 76, at the home of his nephew in East Peoria on Dec. 14, 2020. Others are still hoping to be released. Denice Bronis gets emotional while discussing her fears about her son's health at her home in East Dundee, Dec. 4, 2020. It changes and expands the compassionate release eligibility criteria; ensures the prisoners have the right to appeal the BOPs denial or neglect of the prisoners request for a compassionate release directly to court; and provides other important features, such as 3 0 obj Lester Mason, 76, at the home of his nephew in East Peoria on Dec. 14, 2020. Alan Mills, executive director of the Uptown Peoples Law Center, said that if IDOC strictly followed its protocols requiring quarantine periods and negative test results, the jail transfers should not be an issue. "I am proud that Illinois is leading with compassion and bringing a restorative justice lens to criminal justice policy making. Building Blocks of Success IDOT announces March dates for Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program workshops. Also this month, for those prisons where infections are soaring, both workers and inmates are being tested every three days until no new cases are identified for two weeks. Her husband, Terry, said she said was a gifted nurse with a tender heart. She loved camping, travel, flea markets and yard sales. Activists, inmates and family members discuss the impact of COVID-19 on Illinois jails and prisons, How Gov. Under current law, terminally ill or mentally incapacitated prisoners who wish to be released to the care of family in their final days must rely on a commutation from the governor. Lindsey Hess, spokeswoman for Corrections Director Rob Jeffreys, said it was too early to determine how many prisoners would be released under the agreement. The increased testing in recent weeks helped drive the most recent jump in positive case numbers, Jeffreys said. Jeffreys said the outbreak mitigation program is in place at nine prisons, with several more planned. The IDOC publishes daily updates about positive cases and testing on its website. (April 17) In Illinois, the governor signed an executive order that eases the In response, the states lawyers said pilot programs were underway, but broadening testing at dozens of facilities was no easy charge and more time was needed to evaluate effectiveness. In the decades that followed, he tried to improve himself in prison, his lawyer said, working as a barber, a teacher and paralegal. She said prison officials did not notify her or Wilsons wife that he was hospitalized until the family made repeated phone calls. A broken ankle. The department also reopened an old housing unit that was closed in 2016 because of mold, bad plumbing and other issues. It does not, however, include details about hospitalizations, contact tracing or fatalities. State Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford, D-Maywood, and then future state Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, on the Senate floor last year. 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. More than 4,000 jail detainees have entered state prisons since then. I could hear it in his voice, that he was close, said Susan Hertzberg, as quoted in a petition her lawyer filed with the state seeking early release. She said that while the number of prisoners who will be released was significant, there are thousands more who have a legal mechanism to seek release and should get it. It was tough., Down to Business: Helping children learn to communicate empowers whole family, speech-language pathologist says, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. THE PRISON REVIEW BOARD RECEIVES A PRINTOUT OF BACKGROUND AND INSTITUTIONAL HISTORY ON EACH PERSON APPEARING BEFORE THE BOARD FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS SYSTEM AND IS SENT A MONTHLY PACKET OF INFORMATION FROM EACH INSTITUTION. Five days later, a 65-year-old sex offender from Rockford, Larry Bourbon, succumbed to the virus in his prison bunk. A stress fracture in his shin. (Family photo). Theyll all be given access to vaccines during the next phase, know as Phase 1B. Newsletter, Paddock Publications, Inc. is an Employee-Owned Company. The federal lawsuit asked the court to issue an emergency order that would have authorized the release of roughly 13,000 state prisoners. The Illinois Department of Corrections and a number of elderly and medically vulnerable prisoners seeking early release from state prisons due to COVID The screening process for staff includes temperature checks and, as of October, systemwide contact tracing. 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.. Anthony Ehlers, who is serving life at Stateville Correctional Center for a 1992 murder, said he was sick in March and likely infected his longtime cellmate, James Scott. The Las Vegas woman and her husband, Roger, were nabbed in Illinois with nearly 50 pounds of pot on their way to Pittsburgh in 2012. The issue of early releases is a Catch-22 for Gov. 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. APPENDIXES, TABULAR INFORMATION, AND FIGURES ARE INCLUDED. Some politicians question states priorities. That tragedy was preventable.. After some back and forth on the bill between Lightford and Martwick, state Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, jumped in and told legislators hes confident that the General Assembly will pass a compromise before its scheduled Monday adjournment. But in denying emergency relief last year, U.S. District Judge Robert Dow said there was no convincing reason for a federal court to intrude on the effort by other stakeholders to contain the problem. To see charts broken down by prison, click here. Illinois has granted the early release of about 3,000 incarcerated people since March, according to IDOC data. xWn6+f"E^,"zhzXYE6I~T8B=BSg73tOG##LXEO}n 1mRaIm2%.yM 7{j ! 8zvv|i(8 F+A17qnR=!ZupvWTu]=$n#noOzN"D,?DoW8}'^\ Chicago Tribunes Christy Gutowski contributed. Indiana He had three disciplinary tickets in four decades for minor infractions, said his lawyer, Soble. This is another step toward the world, the Illinois, our families deserve. Officials knew two weeks ago just what kind of crisis loomed outside the front doors of the sprawling Cook County Jail. 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. WebActions to Reduce Population and Maximize Space. Civil rights lawyers filed a federal suit in April 2020 arguing the risk of spreading COVID-19 in prisons poses catastrophic consequences for prisoners, staff and the communities and hospitals that serve them. ", "With a shift to evidence-based programming and the utilization of early release mechanisms for our most vulnerable population, I am pleased this legislation will further reduce the prison population and recidivism rate," said IDOC Director Rob Jeffreys. He tested positive for COVID-19 around Labor Day. Justin L. Fowler/The State Journal-Register via AP. As of Monday, more than 10,800 state inmates and 4,200 staff members had tested positive for the virus, according to IDOC statistics posted online. The Illinois Department of Corrections will identify medically vulnerable and elderly prisoners eligible for early release or electronic home monitoring. Click here to sign up for the Then the Power Started Going Out. 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. 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. The advocates accuse the governor of dragging his feet in the face of a pandemic, putting prisoners and staff at greater risk. The settlement also calls for the department to apply good behavior credits to inmates who are eligible for those credits and have at least nine months left on their sentence. The IDOC denied a Tribune open-records request for information about Bourbons death, citing confidentiality exemptions. In emailed responses to Tribune questions, Ryburn said he was not tested after Bourbon died but he did not get sick. WebMarch 2022 Illinois provides compassionate release to eligible incarcerated individuals with a medical professional who has treated or diagnosed the person; or (5) a prison official.8. The Illinois legislature has provided IDOC with significant discretion to release people, and it should continue to do so, Bedi said. A stress fracture in his shin. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Corrections, demanding the immediate release of Illinois prisoners vulnerable to the coronavirus. He argues the primary cause of the surge is staff infections and said IDOC should have responded with more urgency to Rabas testing recommendations. Many of these men were convicted of horrific acts of violence, often in their youth. As for what caused the resurgence, thats in dispute. To put the numbers in perspective, there were fewer than 700 known infections of inmates and staff across IDOC from March to early August, when the latest surge began. 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