All three cases demand the swift release of those prisoners most vulnerable to the epidemic before they fall victim to it. At least 153 inmates and 147 staffers in Illinois state prisons are currently diagnosed with the novel coronavirus, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections. Read more here! << /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 1028 >> ,0(|GfVMJx'#Kf8Z%jZNtFc+ZT\;SUF-}T&v`)B?>7|'e=6/;_u$dNJ.U*n+Nykp$^+ Stateville Correctional Center personnel pull carts of hand sanitizer and bars of soap on April 24, 2020. According to the settlement, the Corrections Department will continue to identify and evaluate medically vulnerable prisoners for release even after the pandemic. Additionally, SPRINGFIELD The right of Illinois workers to organize and to bargain collectively could soon be codified into the states constitution, and the terminally ill could soon secure early release from prison more quickly under measures that passed through the General Assembly Wednesday. The Senate passed a bill that could allow terminally ill prisoners to be freed more quickly by the Prisoner Review Board. She said that while the number of prisoners who will be released was significant, there are thousands more who have a legal mechanism to seek release and should get it. While he was awaiting a decision on clemency, he passed away alone in prison, though he did not pose a risk to the public. This is absolutely a failure by the state, said Jennifer Soble, executive director of the Illinois Prison Project. Dr. John Raba, the court-appointed monitor in a federal consent decree case regarding inmate health care, began pushing in August for the testing of all staff. He tested positive for COVID-19 around Labor Day. Op-ed: The vaccine showdown no one is talking about: An Illinois mandate vs. the state's prison staffs. She said prison officials did not notify her or Wilsons wife that he was hospitalized until the family made repeated phone calls. Jeffreys said the outbreak mitigation program is in place at nine prisons, with several more planned. Arkee Chaney shows a painting he made about a childhood memory of his father, at his home in Westchester on Dec. 4, 2020. At the county level, judges, prosecutors, and public defenders are working together to release low-risk pretrial detainees and inmates serving sentences for nonviolent offenses. The department says another source of infection is detainees being moved from county jails to prisons. State Rep. Lance Yednock, D-Ottawa, pointed to states that have right-to-work laws, saying theyre one of the most diabolical ways to limit collective bargaining and limiting bargainingis a losing proposition for all workers, Yednock said. I'm sorry we couldn't afford this mercy to Joe Coleman, but I'm proud that we'll be able to do so for hundreds of other Illinoisans now that this bill is signed into law. The House took up a constitutional amendment to the states Bill of Rights that says Illinois workers shall have the fundamental right to organize and to bargain collectively for the purpose of negotiating wages, hours, and working conditions.. An early release law is a state criminal law that allows a prisoner to be released before the end of their prison term. The union instead proposed that it will continue to educate staff, in the hope that more staff will agree to vaccinate voluntarily. J.B. Pritzkers decision to release inmates as the spread of COVID-19 continues in the states prisons, including questions about transparency. Whilst staff at veterans' homes, nursing homes, hospitals and sundry health care facilities balk at getting vaccinated let-me-think-about-it rates for doctors, nurses and other frontline health care workers are as high as 40 percent nationwide the state of Illinois has decided that while doses remain scarce, prisoners and the homeless who reside in shelters or frequent day centers are on par with the elderly (75 or older) and "frontline essential workers" who will be second in line after health care workers. Jeffreys said the IDOC follows federal and state public health pandemic guidelines. (The Exoneration Project photo) Gray is one of at State Rep. Marcus Evans, the sponsor of the amendment, said it would not change existing Illinois law but make permanent the rights workers already have. To see charts broken down by prison, click here. The Illinois Sentencing Policy Advisory Council estimated that the recidivism rate would cost taxpayers $13 billion over five years if nothing is done to decrease it. ", "With a shift to evidence-based programming and the utilization of early release mechanisms for our most vulnerable population, I am pleased this legislation will further reduce the prison population and recidivism rate," said IDOC Director Rob Jeffreys. Press Release - Tuesday, February 21, 2023 ChicagoGovernor JB Pritzker today announced he will join the Reproductive Freedom Alliance (RFA), a non-partisan group of state Governors focused on working alongside one another to identify best practices for legislative and executive Chicago Tribunes Annie Sweeney contributed. The lawsuit was one of two filed in the early days of the pandemic alleging that Gov. A spokesperson for Pritzker was not immediately available for comment. J.B. Pritzker and Rob Jeffreys, director of the Illinois Department of Corrections, as defendants. He kept reaching out, Mom, help me. stream Cynthia McDonalds son, Joseph Wilson, 44, died of a COVID-19-related illness while hospitalized on April 13. The tragedy is the number of people who have become sick and died. The settlement reached March 23, 2021 will result in the immediate release of more than 1,000 people from IDOC facilities. That is the highest figure ever. State Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford, D-Maywood, and then future state Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, on the Senate floor last year. J.B. Pritzker, which claimed they werent doing enough to protect against COVID-19. They say that earned time credits, which allow for early release for low-level offenders, need to be utilized more in light of the ongoing pandemic and high numbers of Some say they should be vaccinated with the same urgency as others in congregate settings, such as nursing homes. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune). PNx SgXBN_]W*o!'13! ". An Illinois lawmaker and a county sheriff are raising fresh concerns about Gov. More than 4,000 jail detainees have entered state prisons since then. It was tough., Down to Business: Helping children learn to communicate empowers whole family, speech-language pathologist says, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. Click here to sign up for the The standoff between Chicago police and Mayor Lori Lightfoot over the citys COVID-19 vaccine mandate once again hoisted Chicago onto the national stage, seemingly pitting the individual rights of law enforcement officers against the health of communities theyre charged with protecting. Sheila Bedi, of Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, said that releasing some prisoners back to their communities is the best way to protect the health and well-being of people in prison. This can include circumstances where an individual may be non-ambulatory due to a spinal injury. This landmark legislation requires that PRB both verify eligibility for release and consider victim statements in making its determinations.". Some politicians question states priorities. If you are a member of the press, please contact our Director of Communications, Megan Groves, at megan@uplcchicago.org. In the grievance, Tommy Ryburn, 61, said Bourbon had constant vomiting and diarrhea and was often too weak to get out of bed to take his medication or insulin shots. As a result of this settlement, prison officials will finally begin to address this issue.. The settlement also calls for the department to apply good behavior credits to inmates who are eligible for those credits and have at least nine months left on their sentence. A lock ( Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. J.B. Pritzker in late June after serving 31 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, is an artist whose work focuses on his experience as an African American. The proposed constitutional amendment passed 80 to 30. In a November interview, she told the Tribune that he used to phone her once a week from Stateville and that, during one call, she noticed he could barely speak. A broken ankle. A day later, Gray died of complications related to COVID-19. WebIllinois The recidivism rate in Illinois within one year of release is 17% and within three years of release is 43%. Officials also did not respond to a request for comment on the case. The law took effect January 1, 2022. Since March, the governor has pardoned or commuted the sentences of about 100 men and women convicted of crimes, the oldest dating back to 1978, that range from murder to cannabis possession. "It's only fitting that his death in prison, though tragic and unnecessary given the many who loved him, will help to restore dignity and humanity to incarcerated people and their families. The testing is expected to be in place systemwide by late January. This legislation gives the PRB the authority to grant or deny a prisoner early release based on their medical incapacity or terminal illness. Members of End Illinois Prison Lockdown Coalition rally as they call out Gov. %PDF-1.3 An Illinois federal judge on Friday refused to order the temporary release of nearly a third of the states prison population in light of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, saying the inmates arent entitled to such extraordinary relief even in these extraordinary times., A federal judge on Friday denied a request for the state to immediately release potentially thousands of at-risk detainees from Illinois prisons, saying that while the coronavirus pandemic is clearly a serious threat there was no convincing reason for a federal court to intrude here and now.". (Youngrae Kim / Chicago Tribune), Arkee Chaney, 76, is an artist whose life sentence was commuted to time served in June after 31 years imprisonment for armed robbery. Many of these men were convicted of horrific acts of violence, often in their youth. Theyll all be given access to vaccines during the next phase, know as Phase 1B. "Governor Pritzker's prioritization of legislative reforms of the criminal justice system reinforces the importance of collaboration among Illinois agencies to cultivate positive change.". A representative of the Illinois Department of Corrections did not respond to a request for comment about the settlement. IDOC officials in early December began rolling out the testing program in which each worker is tested at least once a month, with the frequency based on the positivity rate of the prisons county. People incarcerated in Illinois will be among those vaccinated against coronavirus during the next phase, according to a newly released state plan. At Stateville, all but three who died were serving life sentences for murder. Others are still hoping to be released. Preventing the spread of covid-19 is difficult everywhere. As the new COVID-19 surge continues racing through Illinois prisons, with a disturbing rise in inmate deaths in November plus the states first staff fatality, corrections officials said they will start to test all prison employees for the virus regardless of whether the workers have symptoms. She urged her colleagues to find a compromise that gets to what our children in the classroom need.. COVID-19 cases are ticking back upward across Chicago and the rest of Illinois even as vaccine supply improves, the top doctors from the city and state warned Tuesday. At last count, more than 3,200 staff and 6,900 inmates have been infected since the beginning of the pandemic, according to Dec. 22 state data. A stress fracture in his shin. J.B. Pritzker in late June after serving 31 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, is an artist whose work focuses on his experience as an African American. In addition to providing personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies, the department long ago halted in-person visits, imposed a staff mask mandate and restricted prisoners to their cells with few exceptions, such as showering. Already approved by the state Senate, it will go before voters, appearing on Illinois ballot in 2022. Zach LaVine finished with a game-high 41 points, DeMar DeRozan added 21 and Patrick Beverley had a double-double with 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Vaccinating prisoners is good public policy. J.B. Pritzker said the Corrections Department has consistently, reviewed its population foreligibilityto be grantedup to 180 daysof credit and claimed they have stepped up these efforts during the pandemic. People In Jails, Prisons Will Be Vaccinated In Next Phase, State Confirms After Advocates Push, Jail, Prison Populations Must be Among First to Get COVID-19 Vaccine: Advocacy Groups, COVID-19 cases and deaths are surging again in Illinois prisons, as inmates and advocates call for more action, Prioritizing Vaccines for Prisoners is Good Public Policy, Illinois to expand testing of prison workers as inmate deaths, infections surge, Forgotten: Stateville inmates warn of rising COVID-19 outbreak behind bars, Lawsuit: Illinois Prisons Are Failing To Protect Inmates From COVID-19, Lawsuit: Pritzker, IDOC Failed to Protect Vulnerable Inmates from COVID-19. On March 17th, civil rights groups signed an open letter to Governor Pritzker with demands related to prisoners in light of the COVID-19 outbreak in Illinois. Health officials announced Monday the death of a Stateville Correctional Center inmate from COVID-19, the first confirmed death from the disease at an Illinois state prison. LockA locked padlock UPLCcollaborated on a policy paperwith the Chicago Community Bond Fund, Equip for Equality, First Defense Legal Aid, Teamwork Englewood, Warehouse Workers for Justice, and Westside Justice Centerto advocate for Illinois prisoners to receive COVID-19 vaccines. "We cannot forget that people who might be incarcerated are still human beings and they are still people deserving basic human dignity and respect," said State Senator Jacqueline Collins (D-Chicago). Amanda Antholt, one of the attorneys representing the prisoners, said the settlement will likely affect up to 1,200 inmates across Illinois prisons. Help me. That plea, as a mother, is rough to hear.. Lester Mason, 76, at the home of his nephew in East Peoria on Dec. 14, 2020. The roundhouse remains in use today. His wife, Susan Hertzberg, 78, still in prison, is trying to get a compassionate early release due to her age, health problems and the virus. by Wendy Sawyer , January 11, 2022 The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) has released a lot of new data over the past few weeks that help us finally see both Activists, inmates and family members discuss the impact of COVID-19 on Illinois jails and prisons, How Gov. WebThe First Step Act made important changes to how federal compassionate release works. A public statement on Governor Pritzkers vaccine mandate for prison staff, COVID-19 vaccines should be mandatory for all Illinois prison employees, Chicago legal advocacy groups use education campaigns to encourage vaccination among incarcerated individuals, State Cites Low Vaccination Rate Among Prison Workers In Mental Health Litigation, Vast majority of state prison workers havent taken the vaccine. The first prison inmates to go home under Illinois new early release program could be out within a month, the director of the state Corrections Department said Monday. So Why Have Only 27% Of Workers Taken The Vaccine? ICJIAs Research Hub is funded through a grant from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Newsletter, Paddock Publications, Inc. is an Employee-Owned Company. As a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic spread rapidly through Illinois prisons this fall, 73-year-old Watson Gray made another plea to be released from Dixon Correctional Center, where new infections were rising. FILES FROM 1945 THROUGH 1969 HAVE EITHER BEEN MICROFILMED OR DESTROYED; NONE ARE AWAITING PROCESS. Up to 60 days will be given in the next month to prisoners deemed low and medium risk, the settlement states. At UPLC, we are doing our best to stay up to date on the latest COVID-19 developments at IDOC facilities around the state. 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