On April 22, 2020, Chicago area civil rights groups came together to write a letter of support for the actions of Illinois Governor Pritzker. << /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 1028 >> Chicago Tribunes Christy Gutowski contributed. 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. More than 1,000 prisoners in Illinois are set to be released after a lawsuit settlement aimed at protecting medically vulnerable prisoners from COVID-19. (Youngrae Kim / Chicago Tribune), Arkee Chaney, 76, is an artist whose life sentence was commuted to time served in June after 31 years imprisonment for armed robbery. The lawsuit filed in April 2020 alleged prison settings pose a particular risk of spreading COVID-19, with catastrophic consequences not just to the prisoners and staff, but also to their communities and the hospitals that serve them., Stateville Correctional Center, a maximum security state prison for men in Crest Hill, on March 30, 2020. The settlement reached Tuesday called for the release of low- to medium-risk inmates who are within nine months of their release date and are eligible for certain good-time credits, court records show. Stateville Correctional Center personnel pull carts of hand sanitizer and bars of soap on April 24, 2020. 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. About 400 staff and 1,700 inmates are considered current cases. 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. (Family photo). They ranged in age from 35 to 80, with a median age of 62. We must act quickly. FILES FROM 1945 THROUGH 1969 HAVE EITHER BEEN MICROFILMED OR DESTROYED; NONE ARE AWAITING PROCESS. 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.. Watson Gray, 73, died of complications related to COVID-19 on Nov. 6, 2020, at Dixon Correctional Center. She urged her colleagues to find a compromise that gets to what our children in the classroom need.. J.B. Pritzker and Rob Jeffreys, director of the Illinois Department of Corrections, as defendants. 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. Herman Townsell, who spent 71/2 years in prison for a 1994 home invasion, kidnapping and sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl and has been in and out of prison State officials say symptomatic inmates are tested and isolated and those with the most serious cases are transferred to hospitals. Officials also said they are doing more to hold staff accountable if they go unmasked at work. All 50 were men. The settlement would accelerate the implementation of the policy by 90 days, she said in a statement. According to the settlement, the Corrections Department will continue to identify and evaluate medically vulnerable prisoners for release even after the pandemic. Also, early release substantially accelerated the amount of crime suffered by the public, but contributed to less than 1 percent of all crimes reported in Illinois. Prisons in Illinois, nationally face staff shortages as correction officers quit amid COVID. 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. Some politicians question states priorities. 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. If you are in contact with a friend, family member, or other loved one who is currently in IDOC custody and believe that your loved one would be comfortable with you sharing their information with us, please take a moment to fill out this survey. Bronis' son, Matthew Echevarria, is incarcerated at Menard Correctional Center. The amendment would also ensure the right to bargain will not be diminished by any future law, proponents said. It brought our whole agency together and made us laser-focused to carry out our objectives as we combat this virus.. Jeffreys said Friday that with the anticipated vaccinations and mitigation strategies, he hopes to put a stop to this virus inside our facilities by late January. Additionally, the Corrections Department will give credit for good behavior to prisoners within nine months of their release date. A lock ( He argues the primary cause of the surge is staff infections and said IDOC should have responded with more urgency to Rabas testing recommendations. In an effort to address the COVID-19 pandemic inside the states prisons, CDCR implemented emergency measures to protect all those who live and work in our state prisons, and the community at-large. Northwestern University law professor Sheila Bedi, one of the lawyers for the plaintiffs, said about 1,000 prisoners could soon be released due to the settlement. Chaney, who was granted a sentence commutation by Gov. 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. The House-passed bill, HR 5682, establishes a new program of time credits (sec. There have been 87 Illinois prisoner deaths due to COVID, according to the Marshall Project's database. An Illinois lawmaker and a county sheriff are raising fresh concerns about Gov. ILLINOIS HAS JUST CONVERTED FROM AN INDETERMINATE TO A DETERMINATE SENTENCING SYSTEM. And the record here shows that the authorities in this state are doing just that, with constantly evolving procedures increasing the number of inmates released on a daily basis.. Mason said he spent the decades reading novels, writing to his family and mentoring young inmates. It remains a public health crisis, she said. It does not, however, include details about hospitalizations, contact tracing or fatalities. "I watched helplessly as my father died a lonely death behind bars," said Joe Coleman, Jr. "I thank the Governor and the General Assembly for ensuring no other family has to experience that despair, and for doing so in the honor of my father. Between March 2020 and March 2021, 2,472 inmates have left IDOC custodywith an earned discretionary sentencing credit, according to spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. gz mThHw Todays guest is Alan Mills, the Executive Director of the Uptown Peoples Law Center in Chicago. CHICAGO Governor JB Pritzker signed legislation today that creates a path for the compassionate release of medically incapacitated individuals by the Prison Review Board (PRB). Also, some prison staff will also undergo training on the Americans with Disabilities Act to help implement COVID-19 protections. Ryan is among those trying to help free more prisoners during the pandemic, especially the older people or those with terminal diseases.. THE BOARD MAINTAINS RECORDS OF THE OUTCOME OF EACH DECISION, CARD FILES CONTAINING THE PAROLE HISTORY OF EACH PAROLEE, AND LEGAL PAPERS PERTINENT TO DECISIONS. The Senate passed a bill that could allow terminally ill prisoners to be freed more quickly by the Prisoner Review Board. Additionally, the Corrections Department will give credit for good behavior to prisoners within nine months of their release date. The releases are set to resume soon. State Rep. Lance Yednock, D-Ottawa, pointed to states that have right-to-work laws, saying theyre one of the most diabolical ways to limit collective bargaining and limiting bargainingis a losing proposition for all workers, Yednock said. Chicago Tribunes Annie Sweeney contributed. Heres some of whats on our to-do list. The lawsuit argued that keeping medically vulnerable prisoners who are at risk of contracting COVID-19 confined in close proximity to one another violated their constitutional rights, including the right protecting individuals from cruel and unusual punishment. WebThe First Step Act made important changes to how federal compassionate release works. Prisons and their surrounding communities would be safer. If you are in contact with a friend, family member, or other loved one who is currently in IDOC custody and believe that your loved one would be comfortable with you sharing their information with us. 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. To see charts broken down by prison. The roundhouse remains in use today. The couples daughter, Julie Rittenbaugh, thinks her father caught the virus while receiving chemotherapy for cancer in the prisons medical unit. 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.. 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. A spokeswoman for Gov. There is no question that COVID was going to make it into the prisons. 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. At a recent state Senate committee hearing, acting IDOC Director Rob Jeffreys acknowledged the high numbers, which he blamed in part on increased testing and said mirrors state and national trends. WebIllinois The recidivism rate in Illinois within one year of release is 17% and within three years of release is 43%. Denice Bronis gets emotional while discussing her fears about her son's health at her home in East Dundee, Dec. 4, 2020. People incarcerated in jails and prisons will be prioritized for vaccines along with people who are 65 and older, certain essential workers and people experiencing homelessness or residing in shelters, according to the plan released Dec. 31 by the state health department. Gov. On March 17th, civil rights groups signed an open letter to Governor Pritzker with demands related to prisoners in light of the COVID-19 outbreak in Illinois. Roger Hertzberg, 76, died of COVID-19 complications Sept. 24 at Robinson Correctional Center. J.B. Pritzker. March 2022 2 0Act%20v1.29.2022.pdf. A state budget with firm fiscal foundation that shows tremendous progress? Or a cynical election-year ploy to buy votes? About 1,000 Illinois prison inmates nearing the end of their sentences could soon be released under a settlement announced Tuesday in a federal lawsuit filed as the COVID-19 pandemic was creating a health crisis in state lockups. 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.. Worldwide there are 11m behind bars, according to Penal Reform International, a pressure group. 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. 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