https://richardwanke.com/2020/04/15/cook-county-jail-attack-shows-why-jails-arent-safe-during-covid-19/
5 inmates that tested positive for COVID-19 in the Illinois prison system have died And more continue to die undisclosed by either IDOC or the State.
On April, 2, 2020, prisoner advocate groups sued IDOC & IL for failing to release IL prisoners timely. See details here: https://richardwanke.com/idoc/idoc-inmate-early-release-reforms/federal-civil-rights-lawsuit-filed-4-2-2020-to-force-il-state-prisoner-release/ A hearing was held on 4/10/2020, but injunctive relief was denied at this time. Federal judge declines to step in and order state to release more inmates in the face of COVID-19 threat. The opinion can be found here. Money v. Pritzker The groups are considering further action to force IDOC to release IL prisoners more quickly considering the rapid increases of Covid-19 in IL prisons and jail. A similar lawsuit filed against the Cook County Jail resulted in the Cook County Jail being directed to separate jail inmates out better, Federal judge holds hearing on lawsuit filed over Cook County Jail coronavirus response.
Tom Dart has done about as much as is physically possible to do in any jail or prison to try to stop the Covid-19 contagion. Chicago’s biggest jail has released almost a fourth of its population over coronavirus fears Dart has certainly done a lot more at the Cook County Jail than IDOC has done in any prison and a lot more than any other IL County Jail has done. He has even single-celled most of the jail population which is what most people mistakenly believe is all it takes to keep jail or prison inmates safe.
Nonetheless, Dart hasn’t stopped the contagion inside County County jail, and exactly how long the jail can continue to comply with even the judge’s modest requests is questionable. Cook County Sheriff Says Supply of Masks for Detainees, Staff Could Run Out in a Week
Meantime, Cook County Jail inmates are beginning to agitate from the inside. Inmates in several jail divisions have begun refusing their meal trays off-and-on and passing demands to the jail administration to forward to a local judge so that jail conditions improve. Their requests have helped them out in some respects.
Covid-19 started earlier in IDOC facilities than IDOC first reported. It’s also transformed Stateville CC into an epicenter of Covid-19 similar to the Cook County Jail. The number of infected and the advanced symptoms of their illness would not be this great and rising so quickly now otherwise. More than 400 inmates have contracted Covid-19 at Stateville Correctional over the past two months. Most were left to recover on their own without medical assistance. 8 inmates have died so far, and now word comes that some inmates are quarantined in a Stateville gymnasium which is in very poor condition with a leaky roof, and even built up mold present in classrooms above it. The virus seems to have run its course through about half the inmate population before IDOC came public with the contagion inside. An unknown number are hospitalized, or in ICU and/or on ventilators in Joliet area and other hospitals. Those numbers come from anecdotal accounts from medical personnel & inmate reports. IDOC presently confirms 123 Stateville inmates and overall 133 staff members in IL prisons being positive, with 147 inmates state-wide overall. IDOC figure below now include numbers of recovered staff and inmates. Those numbers show that Covid-19 is still in the early stage of infecting IDOC prisons. What will the figures look like two months from now? As it is they indicate that Covid-19 will linger longer in State prisons than in the rest of IL.
IDOC and the State however have stopped mentioning the number of inmate prison deaths. IDOC can now suppress whatever information it wants to suppress about who has died, who is positive and who has been tested in IDOC State prisons. Understand too just how IDOC is conducting its testing. IDOC is faithfully testing every staff member who shows symptoms, so its staff count is positives is fairly accurate.
However, IDOC has limited its testing of inmates to virtually only at Stateville where it knows inmates have the virus. IDOC is probably working its way through Stateville unit by unit, testing inmates as it goes and then using test results to place them according to whether they are ill or not. Downstate however, IDOC continues to ignore and postpone the testing of inmates at facilities until staff testing results indicate that the virus is probably starting to spread out in that facility.
In other words, IDOC is using its staff and prison inmates as the “canaries in the coal mine” to alert it of the progress of the virus through state prisons. The true number of IL inmates who are ill in Central and downstate prisons is unknown. One inmate in IDOC died on March 30, 2020, and a second inmate died April 5th 2020. Both were hospitalized before dying. Three others have since died at Stateville CC, with possibly two other deaths unconfirmed . State’s first COVID-19 prison death was double murderer serving life for attack on Buffalo Grove family. 2nd Stateville prison inmate dies of COVID-19, State prisons lack adequate space to properly quarantine individuals and are instead quarantining groups of affected inmates and staff both while they are in ICU and while they are ill but don’t need ICU in limited spaces. IL Governor Pritzker, on March 30, publicly announced how Coronavirus in state prisons will be handled:
“…IDOC is at the smallest population since ’95 at 36,944 inmates,1069 fewer than on Fed 1st. On 03/14/20, visitation was stopped, and all facilities were put on quarantine, and hand sanitizer and cleaning supplies were distributed to everyone.160,000 N95 masks, 200,000 surgical masks and tens of thousands of gloves have been sent to IDOC.
DOC has been reviewing the case files of as many low-risk offenders as possible for early release; many female and low-level inmates at the end of their sentences, and not with histories of domestic violence, and all had homes to return to. Places to reside are one of our greatest challenges. Need to ensure each has a place to return now. Working hard to balance the need to free up as much space in our prisons as possible while making sure that we’re not releasing those who may pose a risk to their communities. Every step we take with respect to our prison population needs to solve an existing problem; not create a new one…”
He continued on,
“…My office is working with the Department of Corrections to review the histories of all of our inmates to prioritize the release of older and more vulnerable residents while ensuring the public’s safety. Tragically, we have lost one prisoner at Stateville Correctional, the max security prison that is closest to the Chicago area, with 32 total positive cases among those in-custody and more results pending. We have 18 staff members who have tested positive and who are employed at various Department of Corrections facilities. The DOC is working diligently to prevent further spread by requiring all staff on duty to wear PPE and by opening parts of the facility that were closed to allow for futher social distancing. We’re using every mechanism available to us to prevent and contain the viruses’ spread in our Department of Corrections facilities, including standing-up temporary facilities for an on-site medical mission with our National Guard. But I want to be clear. Despite these measures; and any, and everyone of our DOC residents who falls seriously ill with Covid-19 will receive available medical assistance to get thru it, including an ICU bed, and a ventilator, if necessary. An incarcerated person is a person, and my administration will not be in the business of claiming one life is worth more than another. I want to say to the local hospitals that are near the prison facilities. We will do all that we can to ensure that any patients receive the best care that we can provide and we will work with local Departments of Health to get you all the equipment and support that we can. But hospitals that refuse to take on residents of the Department of Corrections will be called out by name. And those that refuse to operate in accordance to their oath can and will be compelled to do so by law. We are asking everyone during this extraordinarily difficult time to do their part to keep residents; all residents of IL safe. We inherited a prison system that has suffered from overcrowding after decades of tough-on-crime policies focusing on punishment without attention to rehabilitation. Democrats and Republicans agree on this and have worked together over the last number of years to make real changes. And, while we have prioritized support services for the men and women in our care, we’re still operating in facilities that were not built to support these kinds of efforts. When we get through this immediate crisis we all need to have a real conversation about criminal justice reform and the status and conditions of our state prisons…”
The Governor’s comments set the bar high for how all IL inmates should be regarded and treated during this crisis, but that is not what is apparently happening inside IDOC prisons. Many of the actions announced at his daily briefings are made to sound as if they are already happening when this is not always the case and aren’t true even weeks after.
The Devil, of course, is in the details. Even with the best of intentions, the State and IDOC have never faced a situation of this magnitude and severity. Prison staff is not trained in the use of PPE and proper quarantine procedures and inmates are not trained in self-protection. Nor is there time to adequately train anyone. Inmates won’t receive any personal protection equipment: no masks, no gloves, and many at different facilities report that they still lack soap and cleaning supplies. Most say they aren’t allowed to keep any supplies ready at hand for constant use but can only wash their hands occasionally. A lot of showers are also being postponed, and staff is handing quarantines and movement restrictions differently from facility to facility. State prison staff has little experience fighting contagion, and even bringing in the National Guard at Stateville is of limited help. Regional hospitals around Stateville are stressed caring for Stateville inmates, and some inmates have already been distributed to other hospitals throughout the State. Only the immediate release of a large number of inmates can help lessen the work burden and human toll State prisons face.
Watch this important video below about the Coronavirus contagion raging at Stateville prison:
https://abc7chicago.com/video/embed/?pid=6064300
(Note: This page is an adjunct page of information on the IL prison system provided by volunteers of this blog, Richardwanke.com. Richard Wanke is presently serving a life sentence at the Menard Correctional Center in Chester, IL for the death of Rockford, IL attorney Greg Clark in February 2008. Supporters know that Richard Wanke is innocent and hope to obtain his release. His Petition for Leave to Appeal was just denied by the IL Supreme Court and he seeks an attorney to file a post-conviction petition. Richard has a Facebook page under his name maintained on his behalf which also features a page (Talk: Suspect Convictions) with posts and news about the issue of wrongful convictions. We encourage readers to read this blog and FB and to visit Talk: Suspect Convictions and spread awareness of Richard Wanke’s plight.
The most serious problem facing our nation presently is Coronavirus. The USA leads the world in terms of the number of its citizens who are imprisoned. So the Coronavirus has the potential to kill many more US prisoners than the prisoners of other countries. Adequate medical treatment for IL prisoners has always been a problem, but now there is also the increased costs and added difficulties of housing aging inmates.
On March 25, 2020, IDOC began publicly releasing information on the number of inmates it has tested for Coronavirus, the number of test results pending, and the number of staff and inmates testing positive for Coronavirus per facility. On March 30, 2020, the State revealed that those numbers are nonsensically low compared to the true number of staff and inmates who are ill. It has also begun releasing a few inmates with more to be released although not that many at this point. (See below). In addition, on March 26, Governor Pritzker stopped allowing County Jail inmate transfers to IDOC. The order is logical and will put more pressure on County Jails to release inmates because they can’t now ship most of them off to IDOC. Coronavirus IL: Pritzker issues order halting admissions from county jails to Illinois prisons to slow spread of coronavirus
The truth is that NO ONE wants to have the responsibility to care for inmates during this time of crisis. Authorities may claim otherwise, but they KNOW that Coronavirus will overwhelm any prison or jail system, particularly large systems where it will be more deadly because it will incubate there and spread it faster. That’s why Tom Dart at Cook County Jail is so illogically upset that he cannot now transfer many inmates to IDOC. It is a sign of his desperation that he’s been depending on ridding his facilities of inmates by transferring them to Stateville CC which is even more likely to endanger their health. Sheriff Tom Dart Attacks Gov. Pritzker For Refusing New Inmates In State Prisons
. ______________________________________________
Pressure is being exerted on the State to temporarily release non-violent offenders and those elderly and most at-risk for the virus. A lot of pressure and everyone needs to help this effort. We urge ALL persons with loved ones in IL State prisons to call Governor Pritzker’s office at: (217) 782 – 6830, (217) 782 – 6831, or 312-814-2121; to demand the immediate temporary release of your loved one. Or, Tweet him at Governor JB Pritzker@GovPritzker. He posts often enough. If your loved one is in a County Jail, then call your County Jail and court officials to demand the same. Every jail or prison which releases inmates puts pressure on others to do the same. See: Letter Generator to Local Officials for letters to send them. What’s new? Even the former Warden of the Cook County Jail and over 30 prosecutors from around the country are now calling for compassion inmate release! (See articles below ) ____________________________________________
Experts identify several options IDOC can take now to immediately release several categories of prison inmates. It can grant up to 180 days of good time off individual sentences for individuals due to be released shortly. It can release or put on home detention individuals with life sentences who have served large blocks of time without incident in IDOC and are not a safety risk, and it can grant temporary “medical furloughs” to those inmates aged 55 and older who are serving life sentences but are at-risk due to age and medical condition. IDOC is being urged to release individuals as quickly as it can. Not only adult inmates but also the almost 200 juveniles in the Dept of Juvenile Justice. And, of course, IDOC can take any other action which Governor Pritzker dictates.
Governor Pritzker holds a daily press conference that can be viewed here: Pritzker Daily Briefing, and which usually airs between 2:30 pm and 3 pm, to update the public about the status of coronavirus in IL and the State response.
State legislators and local community authorities have enriched their career reputations over the past decade by being tough on crime, prosecuting offenses to the max and putting more and more of the State population behind bars in the effort to gain local votes at elections. Now we will all pay the price. Voters and the public have been seduced into believing that crime is more and more rampant and that the only solution for out-of-control criminals is long prison sentences. Stuff prisons full of prisoners and throwing away the key has led now to endangering the lives of anyone in a US prison or jail during this Coronavirus emergency.
Donald Trump’s presidency has undone the national supportive measures and protections once in place to handle public epidemics. There is presently a shortage of Coronavirus testing of the general public much less our jails and prisons. But public clamor over the welfare of those who are in prison has started to effect some action:
The present Coronavirus situation in Cook County Jail, which is now the Nation’s Top Hotspot:
Four IL jails have released some inmates in preparation for the onslaught of Coronavirus: Cook County Jail, the Macon County Jail, 17 inmates at Macon County Jail released, Scott County, Scott County Jail released 50 inmates in last 10 days as part of COVID-19 precautions, and the Lake County Jail, 40 nonviolent inmates released from Lake County jail to prevent COVID-19 outbreak.
The COVID-19 Struggle In Chicago’s Cook County Jail. Cook County Jail has 4,400 prisoners now versus over 36,000 in State prisons and is now the nation’s biggest Covid-19 epicenter. Cook County Jail has released over 1000 inmates, but more people are still coming into the jail than are leaving. The article at the top of this page is just one incident of violence at the jail. The Jail’s measured steps to release more are taking too long according to the court filing by the Cook County Public Defender, Amy Campanelli’s Office seeking to release inmates in “…several broad categories, including those with medical conditions, pregnant women, non-violent offenders and those who are eligible for probation…”(see statement >>). CCBF and Allies Join Public Defender’s Petition for Mass Release of People from Cook County Jail . Sheriff Tom Dart has been known as a progressive, but he’s shown himself now to be increasingly entrenched. Cook county authorities and the jail are taking so long to release inmates that at least one outside organization is getting people out of jail by paying their bond. Nonprofit uses pooled funds to bail out dozens from Cook County Jail in the face of COVID-19 threat It is ridiculous that The Bail Project needs to pay bails in order to get people out of the Cook County Jail or that it’s actions may release more inmates faster than than Cook County or the jail combined!t
The first known individual to test positive for Coronavirus in IL’s incarceration system was a Cook County officer on March 22, 2020. Cook County Jail hasn’t updated its Covid-19 numbers for several days now. So, as of today it is only known that at least 314 inmates have tested positive there and 189 staff, with at least two dozen inmates hospitalized. 15 Additional Inmates at Cook County Jail Contract Coronavirus, Total Now at 304. Even an additional 213 Chicago Sheriff Deputies now have Covid-19. Chicago’s Jail Is Top U.S. Hot Spot as Virus Spreads Behind Bars . And, a third jail inmate has died, while the family of the first jail fatality is now suing Cook County for cruelty because the inmate was left handcuffed until the moment of his death. Coronavirus Chicago: 3rd Cook County Jail detainee dies after testing positive for COVID-19. Sheriff Tom Dart ,acknowledges that his efforts to contain the virus in the jail have failed but still asks for some estimate of how much longer the virus will last as if the present jail rate of contagion is acceptable under any circumstances! Past articles pointed out shortages of PPE within the jail as recounted by staff and inmates because prison officials appear to be deliberately limiting some cleaning supplies out of fear that they will be used for violence. That only illustrates the problems inherent in keeping people in jail during this epidemic. It began 26 days ago when only 3 inmates were positive. Over 600 jail inmates have been tested, but that’s just a fraction of the over 4,400 jail inmates, and many tests are outstanding. The high rate of those positive is 47% higher than the infection rate in Chicago and basically 50%. 38 Cook County Jail Inmates Test Positive for Coronavirus. That’s no wonder considering there are more than 7982 cases in Cook County alone and over 11,409 in Chicago, which is also a virus epicenter. White House health experts concerned Cook County may be among next hotspots for COVID-19.
What do authorities really expect to happen inside the jail? The Cook County judicial system has been dragging its feet on releasing jail inmates, and now it may be too late to avoid following the path of the Riker’s Island outbreak. Riker’s Island infection rate is presently 7 times the infection rate for the rest of New York. It is so desperate that authorities are even considering the release of some violent offenders. Coronavirus Update: Rikers Island Rate Of Infection 7 Times Higher Than Citywide, Legal Aid Says, Coronavirus Cases Are Spreading Rapidly on Rikers Island. The number of inmates and staff ill at Cook County Jail is almost as high now as at Rikers, despite the Cook County Jail having fewer inmates and being a newer facility. That shows the that the contagion in Cook County Jail is starting to exceed that of Rikers. Meanwhile, the rest of IL facilities, including IDOC have only begun to move on inmate releases.
Local jails releasing hundreds of prisoners amid coronavirus fears, up from dozens just weeks ago
What are smaller jails here in IL doing.? Virtually Nothing but sitting! Hospital space in central and southern IL has limited capacity. You would think that smaller county jails would be more aware of the danger and would be removing inmates now, since it is far easier for them to do so compared to either the Cook County Jail or IDOC. But, that’s not the case. Macon County, Lake, and Scott counties have been about the only responsible smaller jails to make smart moves so far.
The rest of smaller IL jails so far are taking the position that McLean County is taking: Central Illinois Jails Plan For Coronavirus Spread Among Inmates, Staff But, in smaller IL counties even local law enforcement have quietly stopped arresting everyone, and only jail violent offenders are being sent to jail. Local authorities are relying upon the hope that this, in itself, will reduce their jail populations to such a level that they can withstand an onslaught of the virus at their facility with very limited or no loss of life. This basically amounts to them playing a game of Chicken with the virus which is an unknown. The cost of that game could be the lives of both staff and inmates. Smaller jails aren’t even testing or else just barely testing inmates. The biggest player in that game of Chicken is the Winnebago County Jail in Rockford, as it is the largest of the smaller prisons. So far it has reduced its population down from 850 to around 550, but at some point even limiting arrests won’t be able to reduce any jail population further. Today it announced that one correctional officer has tested positive although he was removed from work on March 5 so he probably has not infected anyone else at the jail. Winnebago County corrections officer tests positive for COVID-19 Help sign a petition to release inmates from Winnebago County IL here: Open letter to Winnebago County Jail.
Take a look at what is beginning to unfold at Riker’s in NY‘It’s like a slave ship’: Rikers Island is reportedly facing coronavirus ‘mass death’ event
What is happening in the IL Department of Corrections with its 40,000 inmates?
Effective March 14, 2020, the Illinois Department of Corrections suspended visitation (except attorney visitation) at all IDOC prisons. The message is posted on the IDOC webpage.
IDOC updated its website with a Coronavirus contact phone number and information that people can call for specific facility and inmate information, although it is only providing general detail about what is happening in IDOC overall: “The Department has established a support line for questions regarding COVID-19. The call center can be reached Monday through Friday at 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM at 217-558-2200 ext. 7700. Questions can also be emailed to doc.covid@illinois.gov. For any medical-related questions, please contact the Illinois Department of Public Health at 1-800-889-3931 or dph.sick@illinois.gov…”
The information below is virtually meaningless now as the Chicago ABC Channel 7 video above shows that the medical situation at Stateville prison is already much, much worse than these numbers reported by IDOC below at any one time. Per the video over 100 inmates remaining at Stateville alone have Coronavirus and that number continues to rise.
IDOC has a listing on it’s “Covid-19 Response” page of its website, and has now updated it’s information to show the recovery rates for both staff and inmates as well as the infected rates for each. The recovery information does give the reader a better sense of the progress of the virus through each facility:
Confirmed Cases
| Locations | Staff
Confirmed |
Staff
Recovered |
Incarcerated Individuals Confirmed | Incarcerated Individuals Recovered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crossroads ATC | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Danville | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fox Valley ATC | 7 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| General Office | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Graham | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Hill | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Joliet Treatment Center | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Kewanee LSRC | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Logan | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Menard | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| North Lawndale ATC | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Parole | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pontiac | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Sheridan | 5 | 0 | 10 | 7 |
| Stateville | 70 | 13 | 122 | 55 |
| Stateville NRC | 29 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 133 | 23 | 148 | 62 |
The IDOC numbers of those ill listed on its webpage (148 inmates) are still unreliable. They are undoubtedly inaccurate except for the number listed of infected staff, which is presently at 133 statewide with the majority at Stateville (99). Given the rise in numbers at Stateville, it remains illogical that IDOC is right when it claims that more inmates are not also ill at the other facilities where staff have been identified as having had Covid-19 for weeks now such as Joliet Menard, Pontiac, Fox, Kewanee, Graham, and Danville. There HAVE to be more cases at those facilities also than IDOC reports. There are 123 infected inmates at Stateville, and five inmates have died so far with three more deaths unconfirmed. The IDPH Director has publicly forewarned that persons in congregate care facilities (prisons) will fare poorly due to their many underlying issues and the high proportion in IL prisons of elderly inmates.
IDOC initially tried to post some information on how many it tested but gave up doing so on April 13. The static nature of the number of pending tests it posted only showed that IDOC’s testing is cyclical, not constant and doesn’t reflect favorably on IDOC. Going forward, we just never will know how many persons IDOC has actually tested other than the info the State is willing to release at it’s daily briefings.
How reliable are IL IDOC numbers and information about the number of inmates positive in IL prisons and how well IDOC is handling the situation? Not very, and for several reasons. The stories emerging from prisoners at Stateville Correctional above and below show this: (watch this video >>>) Both Cook County Jail, and IDOC claim that PPE is available to all staff and being used and that all inmates either have or can access adequate amounts of cleaning supplies, soap, and bleach. Both agencies claim that their facility responses are coordinated and systematic when it comes to the health of staff and inmates, and that they are doing as best as they can. Yet, daily reports such as the article post and article below come out from staff as well as inmates stating that what both agencies say is not the same as what is inside or happening inside:
Cook County Sheriff Dart blasts letter alleging he failed to provide jail staff protective equipment
https://www.facebook.com/burletk/posts/10159525422258496
and read this FaceBook post about the inadequacy of medical preparations prior to now. IDOC’s actions to date still haven’t corrected these medical insufficiencies:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/530308957672735/permalink/545032226200408/
With over 9500 positives combined in the adjacent DuPage and Cook counties to the north of it and over 1566 cases in Will county itself, Stateville CC is the state prison hotspot of IDOC facilities and is in full contagion status, just as Cook County Jail is. However, Menard Correctional also has at least two cases reported to-date among staff. Because Menard is located at the junction of Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and has proximity to St. Louis and Indiana, Menard is subject to being hit from all directions. There are also far fewer hospitals and medical beds in Southern IL compared to Northern IL. There are only two beds in Chester, IL where Menard CC holds over 1500 inmates, and there are over 254 positive cases in St. Clair County to its immediate North. Today’s map of COVID-19 cases in each of the counties in IL shows that a massive push of cases from Chicagoland outward and west now extends all the way across the State to Rock Island and reaches down southward to central and now southern IL. Covid-19 Illinois Positive Cases
Preventative measures IDOC is taking include:
- The Department modified it’s Pandemic Influenza and Continuity of Operations plans.
- Hand sanitizer, antibacterial soap, and cleaning supplies are being made available to all staff and incarcerated individuals.
- Staff who are presenting symptoms of COVID-19 are being screened by medical personnel.
- During the intake process, all individuals, including parole violators, are being screened by medical personnel.
- All correctional facilities and transport vehicles are being routinely cleaned and disinfected.
- Staff and incarcerated individuals are being encouraged to practice good health habits, including hand-washing.
- We are communicating regularly with staff and people in custody to ensure they feel safe during this developing situation.
IDOC says it will adjust procedures as necessary and should add to the above list that it is now stocking black plastic bags at prisons to use as body bags.
All visitors, including children under 18 years of age, must be on the offender’s approved visiting list in order to visit. Government officials and legal visitors are excluded and need not be listed on the visiting list to be afforded a visit. Prospective visitors should contact the offender to have them placed on the visiting list.
https://www2.illinois.gov/idoc/facilities/Pages/VisitationRules.asp
IDOC was providing inmates with 2 free 20-minute phone calls and 4 free 15-minute video calls. Video call provider GTL has extended the number of free video calls to one per inmate per week for up to 12 weeks but has reduced their length to 15 minutes apiece. However, since lockdown conditions are fluid and prison staffing is limited, some scheduled video calls are being canceled at the last minute or are now unavailable altogether.
All IDOC facilities are listed as being down on lockdown due to quarantines since March 10, 2020. While a number of facilities are on medical quarantine due to inmate illness, illness in IDOC has fluctuated since February. Not all facilities listed as being under quarantine were completely restricted, but all facilities are now. That means meals in cells, no commissary, limited calls at facilities without widespread tablet usage, no yard or gym activities, and limited showering.
The John Howard Association is one of the primary IL organizations which advocates on behalf of IL inmate health and welfare. There are many others and we ask the public and the families of Illinois inmates to act now to demand the safe release of their loved ones.
Chicago’s biggest jail has released almost a fourth of its population over coronavirus fears
Chicago’s Jail Is Top U.S. Hot Spot as Virus Spreads Behind Bars
Cook County Jail Now Reports 234 Inmates Have Tested Positive for Coronavirus
Elderly Inmates in Illinois at High Risk for Coronavirus
“We’re at war with no weapons”: Coronavirus cases surge inside Chicago’s Cook County Jail
167 Cook County Jail Detainees Have Tested Positive for COVID-19, Officials Say
One of the largest single-site jails in the US grapples with 134 coronavirus cases
101 inmates at Cook County Jail confirmed positive for COVID-19.
51 More Cook County Jail Inmates Test Positive for Coronavirus, Total at 89.
America’s largest single site jail is home to a new coronavirus cluster
24 detainees, 9 employees of Cook County Jail have contracted COVID-19: sheriff’s office
Coronavirus Outbreak Grows At Cook County Jail
6 detainees at Cook County Jail contract COVID-19, doubling count from previous day.
Two Cook County Jail detainees test positive for coronavirus.
Officer at Cook County Jail tests positive for coronavirus
Public Defender: Release Cook County Jail inmates who aren’t a threat
Commentary: Jail detainees need more consideration during coronavirus crisis
Are Illinois prisons equipped to handle the COVID-19 pandemic?
Cook County Sheriff: Cutting Jail Population a ‘High-Priority’ Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
Open Letter to Cook County Jail
Prison watchdog urges Illinois Department of Corrections to make COVID-19 plans public
Coroanvirus in Illinois: “Prisoners are People, Too”
Cook County Jail Prepared For Coronavirus, Sheriff Says
Amid Flu Outbreak In Illinois Prison, Inmates Not Being Tested For COVID-19
IDOC facilities on lockdown amid outbreak of illness with ‘flu-like symptoms’
https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/st-louis-u-maryville-cancel-in-person-classes-to-help/article_76ac9184-a0f5-51a6-8aed-fbcc2fa8886c.html (note mention of Menard CC in 2nd to the last paragraph of the long article)
Stateville prison, Will County jail taking preventive measures in response to coronavirus
ELSEWHERE ACROSS THE NATION –
Articles below show dimensions of the problem and that Illinois jails and prisons are behind the learning curve.
RIKERS ISLAND PRISONERS ARE BEING OFFERED PPE AND $6 AN HOUR TO DIG MASS GRAVES
Fayette County jail releases 48 nonviolent inmates to avoid spread of coronavirus
Freed Rikers inmates getting coronavirus bonus: Manhattan hotel stays
‘It’s like a slave ship’: Rikers Island is reportedly facing coronavirus ‘mass death’ event
IF CORONAVIRUS DEATHS START PILING UP IN RIKERS ISLAND JAILS, WE’LL KNOW WHO TO BLAME
Wisconsin prison doctor tests positive for coronavirus, 18 inmates quarantined: report
District Attorneys call for inmate release amid coronavirus pandemic
Virginia Beach sheriff releasing nonviolent inmates from city jail amid coronavirus outbreak
Coronavirus: San Francisco, Contra Costa prosecutors join national call for jail releases
Coronavirus Update: Long Island inmate put in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19
Michael Cohen asks to finish prison sentence at home amid coronavirus outbreak
Will Rikers Island Free Inmates Because of the Coronavirus?
Coronavirus has authorities putting more police on streets, releasing inmates from jails
Some Texas Officials Want to Divert People from Jail Amid Coronavirus Scare
We Are Not a Hospital: Inside a Prison Bracing for the Coronavirus
An Epicenter of the Pandemic Will Be Jails and Prisons, if Inaction Continues
Soap and sanitizer can keep coronavirus at bay, but many prisoners can’t get them
To contain coronavirus, release people in prison Do not let Covid-19 become Katrina in Connecticut.
As Coronavirus Spreads, Mass. Jails Move to Protect Inmates
Coronavirus in Texas: Prison population at risk of outbreak
Cuyahoga County Jail inmates released as coronavirus spreads
Staffer at Monroe state prison tests positive for coronavirus, DOC says
Parts of San Quentin prison under quarantine as a precaution
Prisons And Jails Worry About Becoming Coronavirus ‘Incubators’
Public defenders request the release of all non-violent offenders in jail due to coronavirus
Calls mount to free low-risk US inmates to curb coronavirus impact on prisons
US prisons are woefully unequipped to deal with coronavirus
Bureau Of Prisons Announces Guidance On Coronavirus
Prisons’ Coronavirus Risk Puts Justice Department Under Pressure
How Prisons and Jails Can Respond to the Coronavirus
Coronavirus Sparked Prison Riots in Italy. Will It Happen Here?
SAN FRANCISCO OFFICIALS PUSH TO REDUCE JAIL POPULATION TO PREVENT CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK
Crowded conditions, close contact behind bars complicate public health challenge
The Coronavirus Could Spark a Humanitarian Disaster in Jails and Prisons
A prison pandemic? Steps to avoid the worstHere’s what Colorado’s jails and prisons are doing to prevent coronavirus among the 32,000 people who live inside
U.S. Prisons Risk ‘Nightmare’ Coronavirus Outbreak, Advocates Warn
Coronavirus: Inmates quarantined at Santa Clara County jail after defense attorney tests positive
Federal Prison Employees and Others Question BOP’s Readiness for Coronavirus
When Purell is Contraband, How Do You Contain Coronavirus?
Coronavirus: Iran temporarily frees 54,000 prisoners to combat spread
Bahrain pardons hundreds of prisoners as coronavirus fears spread
China says more than 500 cases of the new coronavirus stemmed from prisons
Coming in, Rauner knows he has to tackle prison overcrowding, understaffing, prison conditions and inmate treatment
Rauner focuses on Prison Costs
Rauner promoted in his State of the Union speech what he calls a “Turnaround Agenda”: a prison reform plan aimed at reducing the State prison population by 25 percent over the next 10 years while hiring up to 473 more prison guards. Rauner had no choice but to address the issue. He inherits a State fiscal crisis that is out-of-control, where prison costs are one of the top yearly budget expenses for the State and at a time when the State may even run out of money to meet state prison payrolls come April 2015. The question experts and the public has to ask is really: “Is Rauner’s Turnaround Agenda and it’s timetable really aggressive enough to reduce the prison population and address the myriad of prison problems sufficiently in time to avoid bankrupting the State? This article contains some details, but unless Rauner selects the right person for IDOC Director who will aggressively use existing tools and policy within IDOC now to clear lots of lower-level, non-violent offenders from state prisons so only more violent inmates who need incarceration remain, Rauner’s agenda will be ineffective right now when it is most needed.
Prison Experts Already Say Rauner’s Agenda is not enough
Prison experts say that spending more money on IDOC will not solve the problem because Rauner will only be addressing the top of the iceberg by using the money to cover increased overtime costs for prison staff. They say Rauner’s plan is only a short-term solution at best that has to be followed up with changing the laws and sentencing options so that far fewer people are actually sent to prison. Experts such as the IL Policy Institute say we need to immediately improve opportunities to rehabilitate people and help them stay out of prison instead of the approximate fifty percent who return there presently.
Looking ahead for IL Prisons
Rauner creates State Prison Commission to reform IDOC
Commission to address prison overcrowding and rehabilitation
“At Stateville they’re using a gym to house one-hundred young men who are awaiting to be assigned to a boot camp facility. And in that gym you have a hundred guys and one toilet.”
Rauner has set up and staffed a commission to recommend criminal justice and sentencing reforms. The goal is an initial report from the Commission by July and a final report by the end of the year.
From Rauner’s perspective: “Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone has a chance to reform themselves to realize the error of their ways and to try to live a better life and to try to give back and be a positive member of our community. I believe that very much personally and philosophically and I hope our system comes to reflect that approach as well.”
No prisoners released early 6 months after law signed
SPRINGFIELD — More than six months have passed since Gov. Pat Quinn approved legislation designed to ease overcrowding within the state’s bursting-at-the-seams prison system.
But, the new law, approved by lawmakers last spring and signed by Quinn last summer, has not yet resulted in a single inmate being sent home early.
Rather, bureaucrats at the Illinois Department of Corrections and an obscure panel of lawmakers are still working out the rules that could someday put the release of prisoners in motion.
And, although Quinn is in the process of squeezing more prisoners into less space by closing prisons in Tamms and Dwight, officials say they don’t know when the program might begin.
“There is no firm timetable set for the implementation at this time,” said Corrections spokeswoman Stacey Solano.
On June 22, Quinn approved the legislation that would reinstate a prisoner sentence credit program he cancelled during his bid for governor three years ago.
Under past practice, inmates could receive credits toward an early release based on things like good behavior, their record of not committing violence and any classes they took behind bars.
But, in 2009, an Associated Press report revealed that some inmates were being released just weeks or even days after their arrival. Quinn canceled the program.
Since then, the number of inmates residing within the state’s sprawling prison system has mushroomed, with about 49,000 prisoners packed into space built to house about 32,000.
Alan Mills, a Chicago attorney who represents three inmates who have served time at the Vienna Correctional Center and are suing the state because of its overcrowded conditions, said the state will see immediate benefits once the program is running.
In the lawsuit, the inmates say their bunkhouse has been infested by vermin and mold. Broken windows were covered with plywood. Some of the problems have since been fixed.
“If the department would begin implementing the law passed by the legislature … then it could close down Building 19 at Vienna, where prisoners are housed in an old warehouse, stop housing people in basements flooded with sewage at Vandalia, and begin offering programming like basic education, drug treatment, and medical and mental health treatment, that would reduce the current 50 percent recidivism rate,” Mills said in an email.
The delays associated with getting the program up and running are not uncommon in state government.
Once signed into law, the measure went to officials within Corrections to be drafted into a set of workable rules. In October, the proposed rules were submitted to the General Assembly’s Joint Committee on
Early Release, Good Time, SB 2621, Otherwise known as
new Sentence Credits was Signed by Governor Pat Quinn into
law on June 22, 2012, and, when implemented
allows for Early Release of Illinois IDOC inmates
READ GOVERNOR PAT QUINN’S PRESS RELEASE HERE
No prisoners released early 6 months after law signed
Copy of Pantagraph.com article (here)
December 28, 2012 4:56 pm • By Kurt Erickson | kurt.erickson@lee.net
SPRINGFIELD — More than six months have passed since Gov. Pat Quinn approved legislation designed to ease overcrowding within the state’s bursting-at-the-seams prison system.
But, the new law, approved by lawmakers last spring and signed by Quinn last summer, has not yet resulted in a single inmate being sent home early.
Rather, bureaucrats at the Illinois Department of Corrections and an obscure panel of lawmakers are still working out the rules that could someday put the release of prisoners in motion.
And, although Quinn is in the process of squeezing more prisoners into less space by closing prisons in Tamms and Dwight, officials say they don’t know when the program might begin.
“There is no firm timetable set for the implementation at this time,” said Corrections spokeswoman Stacey Solano.
On June 22, Quinn approved the legislation that would reinstate a prisoner sentence credit program he cancelled during his bid for governor three years ago.
Under past practice, inmates could receive credits toward an early release based on things like good behavior, their record of not committing violence and any classes they took behind bars.
But, in 2009, an Associated Press report revealed that some inmates were being released just weeks or even days after their arrival. Quinn canceled the program.
Since then, the number of inmates residing within the state’s sprawling prison system has mushroomed, with about 49,000 prisoners packed into space built to house about 32,000.
Alan Mills, a Chicago attorney who represents three inmates who have served time at the Vienna Correctional Center and are suing the state because of its overcrowded conditions, said the state will see immediate benefits once the program is running.
In the lawsuit, the inmates say their bunkhouse has been infested by vermin and mold. Broken windows were covered with plywood. Some of the problems have since been fixed.
“If the department would begin implementing the law passed by the legislature … then it could close down Building 19 at Vienna, where prisoners are housed in an old warehouse, stop housing people in basements flooded with sewage at Vandalia, and begin offering programming like basic education, drug treatment, and medical and mental health treatment, that would reduce the current 50 percent recidivism rate,” Mills said in an email.
The delays associated with getting the program up and running are not uncommon in state government.
Once signed into law, the measure went to officials within Corrections to be drafted into a set of workable rules. In October, the proposed rules were submitted to the General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, which includes members of the House and Senate.
The panel could vote to approve the rules as early as Jan. 8. But, even if they get a green light at that time, Corrections officials still would have until October 2013 to implement the guidelines.
In the meantime, Quinn is moving forward with the controversial closure of prisons. The “supermax” facility in Tamms is nearly empty of inmates and will close on Jan. 4.
The all-female Dwight Correctional Center also is set to close, but a firm date has not been released.
Together, the two facilities comprise the loss of nearly 1,400 beds in the crowded system.
Despite the slow pace, Solano said agency officials support the new early release program and are hopeful it will serve as an incentive for inmates to be on their best behavior while serving their time.
“This sentence credit law increases accountability in the state’s prison system by setting new guidelines in place that further strengthen the Department’s ability to promote positive offender behavior through the award of sentence credit and allows the Department to revoke credit if the offender is not compliant with rules,” Solano said in an email.
In addition to behavior, Corrections officials will consider and evaluate an inmate’s prior offenses as well as the offender’s potential for rehabilitation.
The new law also expands the number of programs an inmate can participate in and receive sentence credit and grants inmates credit for programs they might have taken while awaiting trial at a county lockup.
Senate Bill 2621 passed the IL legislature, and is before Governor Pat Quinn for his signature!
It’s official! As anticipated, the IL House passed Senate Bill 2621, by a vote of 68 -50, authorizing the Department of Corrections to issue sentence credits which can lead to the early release for inmates eligible under the terms of the bill. The bill is now before Governor Pat Quinn for possible signature. Quinn has 60 days to either sign it or indicate his opposition to it; or he can automatically allow it to become law. While this is great news for all incarcerated in the overcrowded IL state prisons, the bill still needs Quinn’s approval and then to be implememented. It is unknown right now if Quinn will sign the bill into law; he has not indicated past support for the bill or any inclination that he will work to implement any form of early release. If signed the law will head to Rules and Regulations for work before IDOC changes are begun. As we have said before, even in the most optimistic scenario, readers should not look for any sentence shortening to begin till after the November 2012 elections and possibly even some time in 2013. Still, this is wonderful and long anticipated news! Congradulations to everyone who has worked so hard for so long to try to reinstate some form or early release for IL inmates!
Here is the link to the whole piece of SB 2621`legislation. Readers will have to scrutinize it carefully to determine just who is eligible for what:
Click here for SB 2621 info
Bill Synopis:
Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Changes the references to "good conduct credit" and "early release" on felony sentences to "sentence credit", and the references to "good conduct for meritorious service" to "sentence credit for good conduct". Provides that the Department of Corrections shall provide annual reports to the Governor and General Assembly on award, amount, holding offenses, and revocation of sentence credit for good conduct. Provides that the rules and regulations for sentence credit shall provide that the sentence credit accumulated and retained by an inmate during specific periods of time in which the inmate is engaged full-time in behavior modification programs or life skills courses and satisfactorily completes the assigned program as determined by the standards of the Department of Corrections shall be multiplied by a factor of 1.50 for program participation. Provides that the rules and regulations shall also provide that sentence credit, subject to the same offense limits and multiplier, may be provided to an inmate who was held in pre-trial detention prior to his or her current commitment to the Department of Corrections and successfully completed a full-time 60 day or longer substance abuse program, educational program, behavior modification program, or life skills course provided by a county department of corrections or county jail. Requires the county program credit to be calculated at sentencing and included in the sentencing order. Deletes prohibition on an inmate receiving additional sentence credit for time spent in an educational or training program if the inmate previously served more than one prior sentence for a felony in an adult correctional facility. Provides that the Department may also award 60 days of sentence credit to any committed person who passed the high school level Test of General Educational Development (GED) while he or she was held in pre-trial detention prior to the current commitment to the Department of Corrections. Provides that the Department’s rules and regulations for revoking sentence credit, includes revocation of sentence credit for good conduct. Effective upon becoming law.
Senate Floor Amendment No. 4
Provides that eligible inmates for an award of sentence credit for specific instances of good conduct may be selected to receive the credit at the Director’s or his or her designee’s sole discretion. Provides that consideration may be based on, but not limited to, any available risk-assessment analysis on the inmate, any history of conviction for violent crimes as defined by the Rights of Crime Victims and Witnesses Act, facts and circumstances of the inmate’s holding offense or offenses, and the potential for rehabilitation. Restores language that no inmate shall be eligible for the additional good conduct credit in which the inmate is engaged full-time in substance abuse programs, correctional industry assignments, educational programs, behavior modification programs, life skills courses, or re-entry planning who (i) has previously received increased good conduct credit for that participation and has subsequently been convicted of a felony, or (ii) has previously served more than one prior sentence of imprisonment for a felony in an adult correctional facility.</a>
Quinn to Close Tamms, Dwight, Southern IL and Westside ATC’s
by August 31, 2012!
Quinn announced on June 19, 2012, that he intends to go ahead and close most of the corrections facilities that he has threatened with closure. Read our current article regarding the closures here.
One mention in the articles listed above is that Quinn may need to go ahead and sign SB 2621 in order to be able to implement these facility closures by August 31, 2012. This would be nice, but Quinn has given no indication that he is in any hurry to sign SB 2621, and, even if he signs it quickly, it is doubtful that it could be implemented in time to have any effectiveness to facilitate the closures.
Yes, Early Release is possible, but will it happen?
After many false hopes and promises, for the first time since December 2009, it looks like the legal mechanism or fix required to allow the IL Department of Corrections (IDOC) to reinstate some form of early release for certain, well-behaved, non-violent prisoners will happen shortly. In the next few days, through a ground-swell of bipartisan effort, the Illinois legislature will likely show it’s compassion for the thousands of Illinois inmates and their families who have suffered prison overcrowding and worsening prison conditions simply because they have been stuck in IDOC at the wrong time, after Governor Pat Quinn’s suspension of all IDOC awarding of Meritorious Good Time credits (MGT)(which previously allowed prisoner sentences to be shortened).
The state legislature’s action is a tribute to the many individuals and organizations which have worked so hard to educate our legislative members regarding the punitive nature and counter-productive effects of Quinn’s actions in eliminating MGT. Just about everybody dealing with some aspect of the state criminal justice system devoted their time and energies to contacting legislators and encouraging them to piece together the individual aspects of Senate Bill 2621. The bill is likely to squeak by and pass both houses before the May 31st end of the legislative session. (Read article below)
Revamped Illinois prison release plan moves to House
The real question is: Will Senate Bill 2621 be signed and implemented by Governor Pat Quinn?
Senate Bill 2621 has a lot of fanfare going for it, but it will not be the panacea for anyone serving less than a year in IDOC now. Readers with a short sentence cannot depend on the Governor either signing the bill or implementing it. Quinn will have up to six months to decide if he wants to sign the bill into law in the first place. While he is likely to face public pressure to sign the bill, Quinn has been known to procrastinate to the max when he really does not want to do something, and it has become apparent to many observers that Governor Quinn does not like the idea of any early release program going into effect under his stewardship.
All along, Governor Quinn has really been arguably two-faced about the reinstatement of MGT or any sort of early release program. As the January 2012, Illinois Issues article below points out, whenever prodded, Quinn has paid lip-service to the urgency of IDOC resolving the issue of the MGT suspension. Yet, time after time, IDOC under Quinn failed to develop any program or take any of the steps needed to reinstate early release. When finally cornered, the Quinn administration countered with the assertion that he could not authorize any early release program permitting eligibility to any violent offender.
Well, Senate Bill 2621 and state legislators, naively or otherwise, are calling Quinn’s bluff, by giving him law to enforce which will meet the provisions which Quinn set forth for early release. It remains to be seen how Quinn will respond. Our bet is that Quinn will delay signage of the bill at least for several months and then implement it slowly, if at all. Our guesstimation is that readers should not look for an implementation of early release before this November and more probably not until sometime in 2013. Our impression is that Quinn believes that he fulfilled his obligation to state prisoners when he abolished the Death Penalty in IL, and that he feels that the rest of state prisoners are responsible for where they happen to be. We are certain that Quinn will continue to come up with plenty of sleight-of-hand excuses to distract us from his deliberate inaction regarding early release and worsening prison conditions.
In the meantime, hard-won legislative victories such as Senate Bill 2621 are really few and far between, so give yourselves a big round of applause!
_____________________________________________________________
Gov. Quinn takes a pass on early prison release plan
by Jamey Dunn
Instead of using what arguably was the biggest scandal during his time in office as a chance to reform a broken system, Gov. Pat Quinn stuck his head in the sand as Illinois’ prison population reached an all-time high.
An escalated version of the Meritorious Good Time early prisoner release program, dubbed MGT “Push,” became the subject of controversy in 2009 and a talking point for Republicans during the 2010 general election. The Associated Press uncovered an administrative tweak to the program that allowed prisoners to apply credit for good behavior to their sentences almost immediately. Previously, the Illinois Department of Corrections had required prisoners to wait 61 days before using any such credits. Under MGT Push, the waiting period was changed to 11 days. So, many of those sentenced to short terms were released before they moved on to the corrections system.
The state released 1,745 prisoners under MGT Push. On average, they served 36 fewer days than their sentences. The AP found that some inmates released under the plan had violent records. The DOC also failed to properly notify local law enforcement officials when prisoners were being released. In some cases, notification was not given at all. According to a report from Quinn’s office: “MGT Push resulted in the earlier release of hundreds of inmates, including more than 100 serving sentences for violent offenses, after as few as 11 days in DOC custody.” The revelation resulted in negative press for Quinn heading into his first bid to be elected governor.
So he did what any politician — and reasonable executive — would do in the same situation. He halted all early release programs and ordered a top to bottom review. Quinn brought in Judge David Erickson to work on a panel that took a look at the Meritorious Good Time program. Erickson concluded that the Quinn administration had taken a flawed program and made it worse. The report said that the focus of the program should be a rewards system meant to encourage good behavior and a desire for
rehabilitation, not just a way to cut down on numbers. “The department must fundamentally change its attitude and approach toward MGT credit awards. Despite Illinois’ dire economic state and the very real need to maximize control of facilities, these programs should not simply be population pressure release valves; they must be, first and foremost, a means to incent and reward good conduct that shows a genuine rehabilitative intent. This will not only benefit the individual inmate but also the community he or she will reenter.”
At the time of the report, Quinn vowed to fix the program. “These problems at the Department of Corrections are systemic, they’re longstanding, there’s lots of flaws, they need to be corrected. And I’m going to do that,” Quinn said. But two years later, the DOC has no plans to start a new-and-improved Meritorious Good Time program in the foreseeable future. As a result, advocates say that overcrowding, especially at lower security prisons, is getting worse. According to a spokesperson for the DOC, the prison population has not substantially changed since it reached its peak of 48,743 in May 2011. An October quarterly report from the department projects that the population will reach 49,615 by September 2012.
Malcolm Young, who serves on an advisory board for DOC, says that after the MGT Push scandal, word from the Quinn administration was that there were plans to reform and relaunch the Meritorious Good Time Program, but he says “nothing materialized.”
Young, who is also director of the Program for Prison Reentry Strategies with the Bluhm Legal Clinic at Northwestern University School of Law, says: “The fact that it hasn’t been done yet, it’s actually kind of mind boggling.”
“When a window for reform opens, it can close very quickly,” says John Maki, executive director of the John Howard Association, a Chicago-based prison watchdog group.
Maki says that in the wake of the MGT Push scandal, the idea of reinstating an early release program is a nonstarter with the Quinn administration. “It is dead,” he says. “It’s politically poisonous.” Maki and other advocates argue that the program has been in use in Illinois since the 1970s as a way to control prison populations as well as encourage good behavior from prisoners. “MGT was around for 30-plus years. It was something that administrations from both parties used. It was noncontroversial. … This is a standard practice in corrections.”
He says that overcrowding in Illinois prisons is by no means caused by the lack of an early release program for the last two years. He says the problem is a result of “decades of bad laws and policies” that will take a “multi-pronged solution” to tackle. However, he says that reinstating the Meritorious Good Time program could help to address serious problems at some of the state’s minimum- and medium-security lockups. “The minimum [security prisons] don’t tend to get a lot of press and don’t get a lot of attention.” But Maki says his group, which tours correctional facilities and issues reports on them, has found “inhumane” conditions at some of the lower security facilities. He says these offenders, who are often not locked up for violent crimes, would be the ideal candidates for early release based on good behavior.
He points to the association’s review of the Vandalia Correctional Center in 2011. The minimum-security prison was designed to hold 1,100 but instead holds 1,748. The state considers the prison to be at operational capacity. However, when association monitors visited the facility, inmates were housed in standing water in rain-flooded basements. The association’s report links the conditions directly to the state’s lack of a Meritorious Good Time program. “[John Howard Association monitors] found the conditions in these lower-level dormitory basements to be unsafe, unsanitary and unacceptable. The blame lies not with Vandalia’s administration, however, but with the Illinois governor and legislature, who created this deplorable situation. The suspension of Meritorious Good Time credit (MGT) in December 2010 by the Illinois governor has greatly exacerbated prison overcrowding — particularly in minimum- security facilities like Vandalia, whose low-level, non-violent offender populations are most affected by MGT’s suspension. Despite this crisis in overcrowding, the governor and legislature have refused to address the issue or take prudent action to replace MGT,” the report said.
“As a direct result of MGT’s suspension, Vandalia was forced to absorb more than 300 additional inmates into a facility already bursting at its seams with a population that far exceeds its design capacity. Consequently, the only place to house the additional inmates is in dormitory basements, which [monitors] found to be neither safe nor suitable as living quarters.”
Maki said that during a recent visit to the Vienna Correctional Center, another minimum-security prison, monitors found a similar situation, with inmates being housed in a lower level that had broken windows and was infested with cockroaches, birds and mice. According to the DOC, Vienna, which was designed to hold 925, has a population of 1,902. The state says that the prison has a so-called operational capacity of 1,887. As of press time, the John Howard Association had yet to release its report on the Vienna facility.
The state’s classification of operational capacity started popping up in reports last year. It is defined in DOC reports as “the maximum number of inmates a facility can hold.” The “design” or “rated” capacity of a facility is the capacity of the institution when it was built. The design capacity of the state corrections system is 33,703, but the operational capacity is 51,229. So according to the DOC, there’s room left.
“We’re not there yet,” says Sharyn Elman, a spokeswoman for DOC. “We’re still maintaining our numbers under that threshold.” Elman said Quinn’s administration knows there is work to be done. She says DOC is focusing on other tools, such as Adult Redeploy Illinois. That program is based on the successful juvenile model, which seeks to rehabilitate offenders through community programs, such as addiction counseling, instead of prison time.
However, Maki, Young and Erickson agree that good time credits can be used as a tool to reward positive behavior in prisoners and encourage them to work toward rehabilitation.
“Illinois is pretty much at a crisis in terms of overcrowding. I think that it’s not being acknowledged by the administration,” Young says. While the state seems to have adopted a policy of denial when it comes to the problems in its corrections system, Illinoisans are also culpable. We cannot have unrealistic expectations of our state. We must demand that our government act in a competent, humane and open way. What we cannot demand is that it protects us from every evil that could potentially befall us. But few of us want to live in a society that locks up all criminals and throws away the key. And even if we do, we simply cannot afford it unless we want to fund nothing but prison costs.
Unfortunately, this forces us to confront inherent risks of our society. Some criminals will reform, and some will reoffend. Focused screening and requirements for early release, which exclude violent offenders from eligibility, and programs that can help inmates make the difficult transition back into society can improve the odds. But we have to accept that some people who get out will offend again and sometimes even violently.
Maki says that public backlash over scandals in the criminal justice system stem from the basic human desire of all individuals “wanting to protect themselves, their families and their loved ones.” However, he says that instead of being reactionary, we must look to what works. “Incarcerating this many people does not keep you safe,’’ because prisoners at present lack access to rehabilitation programs.
While half-baked plans such as MGT Push, which was carried out sloppily and without public notifications, spur righteous outrage, such high profile scandals should not bar the way for effective policies geared toward real goals: encouraging rehabilitation, improving prison conditions and spending less money on incarceration. It seems the Meritorious Good Time program needs some work, as well as some changes to the law, to become focused on such goals. But having survived the scandal of MGT Push, Quinn could be just the guy to get the ball rolling.
Illinois Issues, January 2012
_____________________________________________________________
The Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) is overflowing with prisoners and can no longer afford to house the many non-violent offenders needlessly imprisoned in Illinois. Locking people up and throwing away the key is no longer the answer to crime. It burdens the public with expense, and non-violent offenders are not rehabilitated. Prison has been found to be the necessity only for violent, repeat offenders who require incarceration in the interests of public safety.
Severe budget shortfalls and forced IDOC staff reductions are making IDOC want to reduce Illinois inmate populations to manageable levels. IDOC Director, Michael Randle, in conjunction with the directives of Illinois Governor Patrick Quinn was moving IDOC in a new direction in reforming IDOC and establishing policies to encourage the “early release” of low-status offenders. Randle was replaced with Gladyse Taylor, by Quinn in September 2010, and Quinn announced he will no longer use Early Release programs to reduce the IDOC population. Other states are beginning to use Early Release programs to reduce prison populations, but until the political consensus in IL reverses and overcomes the negative press from the last Early Release attempt, no Early Release program will happen in Illinois.
Gladyse Taylor merely babysat the department, and Quinn did not name her final IDOC Director. Instead, on April 25, 2011, Governor Quinn nominated Salvador “Tony” Godinez to lead the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC). Last, the executive director of the Cook County Sheriff’s Department of Corrections, Godinez has spent 37 years working in the correctional system, including as warden of Stateville Correctional Center, as well as chief of operations and chief of staff at IDOC. Godinez is a “no nonsense, experienced IDOC staffer— an old pro. Consensus within corrections is that “he is a safe pick…won’t shake things up, but sure as hell won’t screw things up either. No MGT Push surprises out of this guy. Boring is good in corrections.” Godinez was easily confirmed by the IL General Assembly, and has been following the policy set out by Quinn, but has at least been making some honest statements.
On October 8, 2010, Quinn stated that his emphasis to reduce the swelling prison population will be on “on alternative sentencing, boot camps, working with local law enforcement and local sheriffs to not have people come into the state prison at all.” Up to this point, we have seen no initiatives from Quinn. Local counties still control alternative sentencing options and with local and county budgets been hit, these alternatives are increasingly being eliminated and not expanded.
IDOC officials indicated for over a year that the revamping of MGT is IDOC’s top priority and that it involves a number of related steps in order to complete. This has pretty much now been debunked as political spin intended to distract the public away from Quinn’s reluctance to address prison overcrowding and reinstate any form of an early release program.
Quinn may have a few more unpleasant surprises up his sleeve. Last year he pushed hard for a state tax increase and got it, but it did not solve the state’s fiscal problems. Illinois is more in the hole than ever, and there are no more magic rabbits for Quinn. Now, his only solutions are to cut state expenses and increase the state’s efficiency, and he is starting to move in ways which may be ruthless. Quinn had seven state facilities on the chopping block for closure last year. Their closures were averted at the time, but now a whole new list of closures are proposed and some will probably carry through no matter what happens with the state budget.
Supposedly, there has been a statewide push for several years for circuit courts and counties to develop local programs to recognize and correct the problem of persons being sent to prison who either do not need to be there in the first place or who do not benefit by being in prison. While it is known that some individuals are dangerous to society or deserving of severe punishment; IL prisons today are largely filled with more minor offenders who are not rehabilitated but simply warehoused by state prison. Adult Redeploy was designed to create funding methods for communities to develop alternative court supervision and rehabilitative programs to reserve state prison for serious and dangerous offenders.
Some communities deserve credit for getting their jail populations under control, because they have been proactive in realizing that it is better to rehabilitate rather than punish the citizens who ultimately return to their communities. Other communities have continued to deal harshly with offenders and are just beginning to consider their options as they are finding that they cannot afford the costs of jailing everyone. Unfortunately, much better progress could have been made with Adult Redeploy up to this point in time. Now, if the state also throws responsibility for prison inmates upon these localities, it may swamp them. Not only that, but the state and these localities will face the public unwillingness to host inmates since these localities have been trained for years to criminalize offenders.
The chickens are coming home to roost for IL. On the one hand the state is running out of money as the prison population continues to climb; on the other hand, electoral rhetoric and “Get tough on Crime” politics have created a public atmosphere which is unreceptive to the degree of mindset change required to deal with prison overcrowding and avoid the embarrassing lawsuits and costly effects it has has in other states.
We will continue to update information as events unfold, but at this point, readers should not expect implementation of any early release program until after the November 2012 elections and possibly 2013.
__________________________________________________________________________
AP Exclusive: Lawmakers seek prison crowding fix
FILE – In this April 2004 file photo, eighty-six inmates share a dormitory at the minimum-security Vandalia Prison in Vandalia, Ill. With Illinois’ prison population continuing to rise and Gov. Pat Quinn refusing to reinstate a program that gave well-behaved prisoners early release, lawmakers from both parties are pushing plans this spring to find alternatives to incarceration or other ideas to reduce the state’s packed lockups. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman,File) — AP
By JOHN O’CONNOR, AP Political Writer
3:23 p.m., Jan. 20, 2012
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Lawmakers from both parties are seeking ways to reduce Illinois’ growing prison population, and one has introduced legislation to restart a contentious program that let well-behaved prisoners out early.
Gov. Pat Quinn shut down the 30-year-old early release program after The Associated Press reported in 2009 that prison officials had implemented an unpublicized, accelerated version that was springing criminals in as little as eight days.
He has shown no interest in reviving it, but least one legislator is looking at it again as the prison population has grown by 3,000 inmates in two years. Meanwhile, a group of lawmakers is meeting with Quinn to find solutions more palatable to the governor and the public.
Conditions inside state prisons are “wretched,” according to John Maki, executive director of the prison watchdog group John Howard Association. Monitoring visits to Illinois lockups in the past year have revealed inmates housed in gymnasiums, standing water in living quarters and rodent problems.
Illinois is not alone in trying to address prison crowding. An August report by the American Civil Liberties Union identified six states that have adopted laws in the past five years to decrease prison populations, with four more working on the issues. One of the more popular tacks among reform states is to expand good-conduct credit, including in Kentucky and Ohio just last year.
Prison advocates nationwide generally support early release as one solution to overcrowding, and Rep. Art Turner, D-Chicago, has introduced legislation that would restore Illinois’ accelerated early-release program. But the governor previously has said he won’t go along with that, even with new controls imposed by lawmakers, after problems with the program nearly cost him reelection in 2010.
Instead, Quinn’s staff has been working with a group of legislators who plan to pick up the pace when the General Assembly resumes its work later this month. Some told the AP they hope to have a solution by the end of the spring session.
The group includes Rep. Dennis Reboletti, a law-and-order legislator who speaks of being “smart on crime” and advocates alternative sentencing, such as treatment for first- or second-time substance abusers.
“Put them into community-based programs with ankle bracelets, into treatment centers or halfway houses where they can get job counseling or programming to put them back into a productive life,” the Elmhurst Republican said.
As of November, there were 48,620 people incarcerated in Illinois, 144 percent more than the 33,700 for which space was designed, according to the Corrections Department. But department officials now play down those numbers, saying “operational capacity” is about 51,200. That’s after the agency began counting how many people a facility can actually hold, along with what it was designed to house.
For decades in Illinois, the director of the Corrections Department had the discretion to cut sentences with “meritorious good time,” or MGT, by up to six months for an inmate who displayed good behavior behind bars.
But Quinn abandoned the practice in December 2009 after the AP reported that the agency secretly dropped an informal requirement that all incoming inmates serve 60 days behind bars before getting good-time credit in a plan dubbed “MGT Push.” More than 1,700 inmates were released under that program, and some went on to commit more crimes.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Derrick King, for example, was sentenced to three years in prison for a brutal attack on a woman in 2008. He served about a year in county jail and 14 days in state prison before he was released in October 2009 under MGT Push and then arrested the next day on suspicion of assault and sent back to prison.
Lawmakers later put the 60-day minimum sentence requirement into law. An independent review of the accelerated early-release program determined the Quinn administration had failed to consider dangers to public safety in trying to save money and recommended it be reinstated with reforms.
Quinn has not said why his administration will not reinstate the program, although he said in October 2010 he was focusing on “alternative sentencing approaches.” Spokeswoman Brooke Anderson confirmed he’s working with the legislative group to “manage population numbers while continuing to incarcerate – for safety, rehabilitation, and punishment.”
Along with Reboletti, the panel meeting with Quinn’s staff about a solution includes Sen. Kirk Dillard, R-Hinsdale and Sen. Michael Noland, D-Elgin. Each says he’s open to options that keep the public safe but reduce the inmate population to make prisons safer and spare the state budget. The House Democrats’ representative is parliamentarian David Ellis, the governor’s office said.
Dillard, a candidate for governor in 2010 and potentially again in 2014, said early release is not popular, given the shock of MGT Push.
“My constituents want people locked up,” he said. “They’re tired of people who still should be locked up in the penitentiary (out) committing crimes.”
Nonetheless, he’s open to ideas such as Reboletti’s.
Turner’s bill would reverse the new 60-day minimum prison sentence requirement and give the Corrections director discretion to release anyone who has served 60 days behind any bars, including in county jails. Turner did not return repeated calls and an email seeking comment.
Regardless of the method, something has to happen soon, Maki said.
At Vandalia prison in June, John Howard visitors found dirty, stagnant water pooling on the floor of inmates’ living areas. One dormitory, Building 19, at Vienna prison in September had rodent droppings and inmates complained of mice and cockroaches. Windows on two floors were broken and birds had built nests inside.
“When you put nonviolent offenders in deplorable conditions you’re not going to make this person better,” said Maki, whose report blames Quinn and lawmakers who have cut corrections budgets. “Prisons are not typically uplifting places, but Building 19 was one of the most depressing things I’ve ever seen.”
Illinois governor to close 2 state institutions
Governor Quinn Announces Active Community Care Transition Plan
Rebalancing Plan Will Increase Community Care Options for People with Developmental Disabilities and Mental Health Conditions
This entry was posted on January 21, 2012 at 6:28 am and is filed under Early Release, FOIA-Freedom of Information Act, IDOC, IL in Fiscal Ruins, Local Issues, Meritorious Good Time, Uncategorized. Tagged: Governor Quinn and good time, idoc early release, MGT, return of good time. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. Edit this entry.
In September 2009, Quinn and Randle initiated an “Early Release” Program (described below) to test the effect of releasing 1,000 short-term inmates early in order to save IDOC costs. The hope was that these individuals successfully released would pave the way for the state to subsequently release 7,000 – 10,000 additional inmates at significant cost savings to IDOC. Unfortunately, the program was not well implemented and some individuals were released who had violent backgrounds and who committed crimes upon release. The political backlash incurred by Quinn over the program resulted in his terminating all IDOC Early Release Programs in December 2009. It also resulted in Quinn canceling all Meritorious Good Time Credits which IDOC awarded (up to six months) to inmates in order to shorten their IDOC sentences.
A commission was established to investigate the Early Release programs and report back findings in May 2010. That report issued August 12, 2010.
In the meantime, lack of MGT reinstatement leaves many individuals in IDOC facilities serving longer terms than they anticipated. Many are reporting that they have been misinformed by prosecutors concerning the length of their sentences prior to accepting plea bargains. Any individual considering the acceptance of a plea agreement must now be aware that under the current IDOC situation, you will have to serve a minimum of 61 days of any sentence agreed to and will not be granted any good time credits until legislative action is taken. No matter what the court or prosecutor tells you; MGT is not guaranteed. It is discretionary and, in fact, no credit will be granted to anyone now unless MGT is formally reinstated by IDOC. Any other Early Release program is now unlikely to occur no matter what happens.
Richardwanke.com will continue to update this page with the latest information concerning IDOC Early Release and Good Time Credits as it is received, but we do not anticipate any movement here for a long time.
In July 2010, IDOC began releasing individuals who it states were approved for Early Release prior to January 2010. IDOC has set up the public notification page on it’s website it is required to do listing names and (unfortunately) the addresses and offense information for all inmates that it is now releasing early because they were approved for Good Time credits before the program was suspended. All inmates who were approved before the suspension know who they are and have been waiting to be released. Sources within IDOC say there may be a backlog of up to three years worth of pre-approved individuals awaiting their release. Curiously, many of the persons now being released entered IDOC as recently as 2009. Meanwhile, for the rest of IDOC inmates, MGT remains suspended awaiting legislative action. For these individuals, there are no short-cuts. Early Release is no longer expected to be reinstated.
Erickson’s Report on IDOC Early Release Issued August 12, 2010
Posted by tennesseetree on August 14, 2010
The delay in issuing Judge Erickson’s report and assessment of the IDOC Early Release Program and awarding of MGT Credit is now explained. The report was issued today during a major press conference conducted by IDOC ranking officials and Governor Quinn’s Administration.
The report and accompanying information may be viewed at the IDOC website, at, http://www.illinois.gov/PressReleases/ShowPressRelease.cfm?SubjectID=3&RecNum=8753
Most of the report findings are not new because bits and parts of them have been previously leaked to the press by Erickson and other IDOC officials.
At the core of the new plan for implementing awarding of all Meritorious Good Time Credits to IDOC inmates are three points: 1. requiring inmates to earn credits and spend at least 60 days in state custody before receiving any awards for meritorious conduct, 2. developing formal, consistent procedures and policies for programs (with public input) and implementing these department- wide under the responsibility of the IDOC’s Chief Public Safety Officer, and 3. instituting a fully electronic advance notification process with appropriate procedural safeguards, to give local authorities time to respond to or prepare for a prisoner’s release and to plan for public safety.
What is apparent is that Quinn needed the time from January to now to get IDOC agency staff on-board and put the IDOC internal house in order as well as restructure the essentials of the IDOC Early Release program along the lines of the recommendations contained in the report before formally releasing the report and it’s specifics. Quinn timed the report release to issue now, before the November elections to demonstrate to the public that Quinn has the answer to his critics and a master plan to capably handle IDOC and all Early Release issues. Quinn wants no more political embarrassment from IDOC or early release and is effectively deflecting all opportunity for attack on the issue of crime by making IDOC a non-issue for this November’s election. Unfortunately, this ploy did not quite work out and Quinn released Mike Randle from his position as IDOC director in September 2010, in response to further political attacks from Quinn’s opponents.
Everybody has to note, that much of the plan and many of the objectives outlined by IDOC today still exist more on paper than in fact. What this means to the public is delay; a lot of additional delay before the agency actually once again starts to award MGT to anyone not previously approved to receive it. As IDOC stated today, several of the recommended reforms announced will require legislative action and if they are also seeking public input for procedures; then, as we all know, it will take quite a while. Obviously, Early Release will not be in place by November 2010, and probably not before Spring 2011. In the meantime current MGT and Early Release programs remain suspended; so sorry, but no one else is getting approved for them until then.
We have a plan; it is a large plan, and we can only wait to see how well it is implemented.
__________________________________________________________
A Scandal that Wasn’t – The Facts about “Early Release”
(Factsheet handled out to press by Alan Mills of Uptown People’s Law Office at August 11, 2010 hearing on Early Release)
1. Nobody in any Illinois prison was released early.
a) The 1,745 prisoners released during Fall 2009 under the Push-MGT program all served terms mandated by law. The initiative taken by IDOC director Randle was to award MGT (Meritorious Good Time) to all those who were eligible for it, rather than arbitrarily withholding it from prisoners serving less than 61 days. (These prisoners already served terms of at least three months in local jails before transfer to IDOC custody.)
b) Prisoners serving terms less than 61 days are extremely expensive because they must be examined and classified, and assigned to a program of rehabilitation. But since they are generally released long before they have to access rehabilitative programming – sometimes even before they have left Reception and Classification — a few additional days or weeks of incarceration is pointless.
c) The average reduction in sentence for prisoners released under revised Push-MGT was 37 days.
2. The scheduled release of prisoners was not secret.
a) Though not much discussed in the media, Meritorious Good Time is a program that is well-known by corrections professionals and many legislators. The law establishing the program — 730 ILCS 5/3-6-3(a)(3) and (a)(4) — was passed in 1978 by Republican Governor James R. Thompson. The initiative was expanded by Republican Governor Jim Edgar in 1993 with added good time for the completion of educational, substance abuse and other programs.
b) IDOC Director Randle publicly announced the expansion of the MGT release program in Sepember 2009. In addition, the IDOC lists on its website the names and photos of all prisoners in its custody, or under post-release supervision. When the controversy about MGT arose, the IDOC separately published the names of released prisoners.
3. Push-MGT did not lead to higher recidivism.
a) Illinois’ three-year recidivism rate is 51%. Of the 1745 prisoners released under Push-MGT, just 57 (3.26%) were returned to prison for new offenses. However under pressure from lawmakers and the press, new rules were established that lead to the return to prison of many more, 841 (48.2%). These men were sent back to prison for technical, even petty violations, including a single positive drug or alcohol test or possession of alcohol in the home. The new rules also required prisoners to make daily phone reports and twice-weekly visits to a parole office, sometimes hundreds of miles from their homes. Violation of any of these provisions resulted in re-incarceration.
b) A few of the released prisoners committed serious crimes, and this is regrettable. The story of Edjuan Payne who committed a murder in Peoria is especially disturbing. But the crime for which Payne was incarcerated when he received good time credit was relatively minor, and a number of trained professionals – including conservatives on the Prisoner Review – determined that any threat posed by his release was small. They made a mistake that turned out to be tragic. Some prisoners – whenever they are released – will recommit crimes, and there is no reason to believe that a few extra days or weeks in prison will turn a recidivist into a model citizen. The only proven method of reducing recidivism is education, rehabilitation, and jobs.
4. Most states have programs like MGT and they have been proven both safe and effective.
a) A carefully controlled study of crime and punishment in New York, Michigan, Kansas, and New Jersey has indicated that prison populations can be safely cut by eliminating mandatory minimum terms, reducing or ending sentences for minor drug offenses, and increasing the use of meritorious good time (The Sentencing Project, Downsizing Prisons: Lessons from Four States). New York State has cut its prison population by 20% and reduced violent crime by 30% over ten years. Saving money is compatible with public safety.
b) The bi-partisan Taxpayer Action Board (TAB) appointed by Governor Quinn in 2009, recommended that the IDOC dramatically reduce its large, low-risk inmate population by allowing those who “no longer represent a significant risk to society” to “reenter society under state supervision.” MGT serves this essential purpose.
c) The Illinois Crime Reduction Act of 2009, (SB 1289) co-sponsored by Republican Senator Jim Durkin, was signed into law one year ago by Governor Pat Quinn. Its mandate is to end the imprisonment of men and women guilty of minor crimes. One provison of the law, (sec. 10, part c, no, 2), even decrees that additional good time can be earned by prisoners for participating in drug-treatment, educational and other programming. Some of the same legislators who voted to increase the use of MGT condemned it just a few months later!
5. Sen. Bill Brady sponsored a bill that reduced MGT, increasing the states prison population by 2,557 and costing the state an estimated $64 Million dollars per year!
a) The Illinois prison population now stands at 47,718, an annualized increase of nearly 10% from the previous year, at a time when most states have been reducing their prison populations. According to research by Malcolm Young of Northwestern University’s Bluhm Legal Clinic, Illinois could save 120 Million dollars a year by reducing its prison population by just 5,000 – a modest 10% reduction.
b) The 28 Illinois prisons were built to hold 31,000 inmates. They are now greatly overcrowded, leading to greater violence, sickness and mental illness among prisoners, and much greater danger to corrections officers.
The real scandal is that the prison population has been allowed to soar, recidivism rates to rise, and our pockets emptied because a few politicians prefer to arouse fear than offer real solutions. The only path forward is to offer alternatives to prison for those who commit minor offenses, and educational and rehabilitation programs to those we must imprison.
___________________________________________________
Linda Shelton has an excellent analysis on the injustices that will result on persons convicted on non-violent and lesser offenses as a result of the new State law passed in January 2010, requiring all IDOC prisoners to serve at least 61 days of their sentence prior to release from IDOC. As she shows, “early release” is not secret, is not new, and is not even necessarily “early”:
___________________________________________________
FROM IDOC WEBSITE NEWS:
IDOC Director Randle announces prison reforms
State provides funding to the Illinois Department of Corrections for smarter prevention, tougher enforcement
__________________________
IDOC Director Randle welcomes members of the Adult Advisory Board
Board will assist IDOC in reforming state’s criminal justice system
__________________________________________________________
October 13, 2009, Chicago Sun-Times commentary, at:
www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1821093,CST-EDT-edit13.article
https://richardwanke.com/2010/01/13/more-idoc-political-football/
https://richardwanke.com/2010/02/12/other-states-still-going-ahead-with-early-release/
https://richardwanke.com/2010/02/08/what-is-wrong-with-the-media-hype-over-early-release/
__________________________
Latest information on IDOC Inmate Early Release & Reforms:
https://richardwanke.com/2010/03/08/bill-brady-still-using-idoc-early-release-as-political-issue/
https://richardwanke.com/2010/02/25/and-even-worse-idoc-news/
https://richardwanke.com/2010/02/25/more-screwing-with-idoc-good-time-credits/
https://richardwanke.com/2010/01/27/no-state-workers-will-be-laid-off-right-now/
https://richardwanke.com/2010/01/22/more-confusion-at-idoc/
https://richardwanke.com/2010/01/07/lawsuit-between-quinn-state-workers-in-negiotiation/
https://richardwanke.com/2010/01/07/quinn-moving-fast/
https://richardwanke.com/2010/01/06/now-all-idoc-early-release-programs-stopped/
https://richardwanke.com/2010/01/06/no-money-too-many-inmates/
https://richardwanke.com/2010/01/06/another-way-idoc-saves-money/
https://richardwanke.com/2010/01/01/idoc-announces-changes-to-meritorious-good-time-program/
https://richardwanke.com/2009/12/31/idoc-early-releases-due-to-meritorious-good-time-ended/
https://richardwanke.com/2009/12/15/the-threat-at-idoc-prisons/
https://richardwanke.com/2009/12/15/quinn-in-hot-water-for-way-idoc-inmates-released-early/
https://richardwanke.com/2009/10/22/more-upcoming-news-at-idoc/
https://richardwanke.com/2009/10/21/our-opinion-new-corrections-chief-embraces-reforms/
https://richardwanke.com/2009/10/21/latest-on-how-idoc-plans-to-save-money/
https://richardwanke.com/2009/10/16/prisons-director-defends-early-releases/
https://richardwanke.com/2009/08/29/quinn-grapples-with-prison-cuts-amid-budget-mess/
https://richardwanke.com/2009/06/06/what-we-should-be-doing/
RichardWanke.Com 