There is no question that COVID was going to make it into the prisons. Read more here! A 58-year-old cancer survivor who had been in custody since he was a teenager, Scott died in April. 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. As a result of this settlement, prison officials will finally begin to address this issue.. CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- A day after the state announced one Illinois prison inmate had died of COVID-19 and that more inmates and staff had tested positive for the coronavirus, a legal services group is renewing its call for thousands of inmates to be released. WebThe First Step Act made important changes to how federal compassionate release works. Officials also did not respond to a request for comment on the case. But more than 30% of those still locked up have a projected mandatory supervised release date before Jan. 1, 2022, meaning they are due to be set free in a year or less anyway, state data shows. People incarcerated in Illinois will be among those vaccinated against coronavirus during the next phase, according to a newly released state plan. The lawsuit was one of two filed in the early days of the pandemic alleging that Gov. Similar to what happened in the outside world, the pandemic seemed under control in Illinois prisons most of the summer. 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. He had three disciplinary tickets in four decades for minor infractions, said his lawyer, Soble. Additionally, the Corrections Department will give credit for good behavior to prisoners within nine months of their release date. Republican state Rep. Deanne Marie Mazzochi. 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. 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. J.B. Pritzkers decision to release inmates as the spread of COVID-19 continues in the states prisons, including questions about transparency. As efforts continue to slow the spread of COVID-19 at Cook County Jail by reducing the inmate population, Gov. Alan has been fighting for the rights of imprisoned people for decades and has played a key role in recent efforts to free prisoners who are locked in facilities where the coronavirus is spreading like wildfire. As of mid-December, about 400 employees were out sick and up to 100 more are usually out waiting for test results. INFORMATION ON WHERE TO OBTAIN DATA ON ILLINOIS INMATES PAROLED FROM THE FEDERAL CORRECTIONAL SYSTEM IS PROVIDED. On April 22, 2020, Chicago area civil rights groups came together to write a letter of support for the actions of Illinois Governor Pritzker. 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. gz mThHw The union instead proposed that it will continue to educate staff, in the hope that more staff will agree to vaccinate voluntarily. Todays guest is Alan Mills, the Executive Director of the Uptown Peoples Law Center in Chicago. HISTORICAL FILES ARE IMPOSSIBLE TO USE FOR ALL PRACTICAL PURPOSES. J.B. Pritker for failure to protect the health and safety of those in prison from COVID-19, outside the Thompson Center in Chicago on Dec. 15, 2020. Her husband, Terry, said she said was a gifted nurse with a tender heart. She loved camping, travel, flea markets and yard sales. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. On January 13th, state legislators approved a colossal 764-page police and criminal justice reform bill that includes major changes, such as ending the practice of cash bail and money bonds, requiring all officers across Illinois to wear body cameras, and easing restrictions placed on those convicted of lesser charges. Indiana The law took effect January 1, 2022. ", "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. Lets walk through 4 main ways to get early release from prison, under the First Step Act, for an inmate to obtain early release or additional community custody But some Illinois House Republicans have criticized his administration for releasing prisoners who committed violent crimes and for not being more transparent. One staff member a 64-year-old nurse near retirement also died. Jan. 13, 2022 WASHINGTON Thousands of federal inmates will become eligible for release this week under a rule the Justice Department published on Thursday ", "Joe spent his life in service of others from his time in the military to his time in prison," said Jennifer Soble, Executive Director, Illinois Prison Project. 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. They work tremendously hard under really difficult circumstances, Caumiant said. WebActions to Reduce Population and Maximize Space. 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. On April 17th, he commuted the sentences of 7 people in Ohio state prisons. (Family photo). Im tending to believe they did nothing but left him on the floor, she said, because he went straight from his cell to a hospital.. A representative of the Illinois Department of Corrections did not respond to a request for comment about the settlement. On April 22, 2020, Chicago area civil rights groups came together to write a letter of support for the actions of Illinois Governor Pritzker. 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. The Illinois Department of Corrections will identify medically vulnerable and elderly prisoners eligible for early release or electronic home monitoring. A spokeswoman for Gov. In the decades that followed, he tried to improve himself in prison, his lawyer said, working as a barber, a teacher and paralegal. (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. I could hear it in his voice, that he was close, said Susan Hertzberg, as quoted in a petition her lawyer filed with the state seeking early release. The testing is expected to be in place systemwide by late January. Also, early release substantially accelerated the amount of crime suffered by the public, but contributed to less than 1 percent of all crimes reported in Illinois. That will result in the immediate release of over 1,000 prisoners, according to the Uptown Peoples Law Center. Alan Mills, executive director of the Uptown Peoples Law Center, said that if IDOC strictly followed its protocols requiring quarantine periods and negative test results, the jail transfers should not be an issue. THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS MAINTAINS TWO COMPUTERIZED RECORD SYSTEMS. It took a prisoners death just for them to pass out a single extra bar of soap, one incarcerated man said. The legislation was named after Joe Coleman, a father, decorated veteran, and active member in his community who had terminal cancer. He wasnt really asking for another chance, said Lindsay Hagy, Grays attorney. %PDF-1.3 J.B. Pritzker through executive clemency. We do believe things are moving in the right direction.. Fatalities have been reported in nearly 20 IDOC facilities, with Dixon one of the latest hot spots. Thousands of prison workers have been sickened, including a correctional officer who spent a month on a ventilator fighting COVID-19 in March. House Bill 3665, also known as the Joe Coleman Medical Release Act, reflects the administration's commitment to bringing about true, meaningful reform in the justice system. 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. More than 1,000 Illinois prisoners to be released under COVID-19 lawsuit settlement, Coronavirus live blog, March 23, 2021: COVID-19 cases ticking back up across Chicago, More Than 1,000 Medically Vulnerable IDOC Inmates to be Released Under Lawsuit Settlement. At a recent state Senate committee hearing, acting IDOC Director Rob Jeffreys acknowledged the high numbers, which he blamed in part on increased testing and said mirrors state and national trends. State Rep. Terri Bryant, R-Murphysboro, left, talks with state Rep. Mary Flowers, D-Chicago, during a session of the Illinois House of Representatives at the Bank of Springfield Center last year. Heres some of whats on our to-do list. "Governor Pritzker's signature on legislation authored by Senator Connor and Representative Guzzardi demonstrates compassion for those with greatest medical need and lowest risk of reoffense. ACCESS TO THE SYSTEM REPORTS ON INDIVIDUALS IS GOVERNED BY ILLINOIS STATUTE, AS IS ACCESS TO SUPERVISION FOR RESEARCH PURPOSES. A group of civil rights attorneys initiated a united legal challenge Thursday against Gov. RECORDKEEPING PRACTICES DIFFER IN EACH AREA OF ILLINOIS' PAROLE DISTRICTS. More than 1,000 medically vulnerable or elderly inmates in Illinois prisons are set to be released following a settlement agreement in a lawsuit brought last spring against the head of the Illinois Department of Corrections and Gov. He argues the primary cause of the surge is staff infections and said IDOC should have responded with more urgency to Rabas testing recommendations. A state budget with firm fiscal foundation that shows tremendous progress? Or a cynical election-year ploy to buy votes? Department of Corrections officials have the option of offering eligible prisoners medical furloughs, electronic home detention and early release. The releases follow an April 20 directive from Gov. The federal lawsuit asked the court to issue an emergency order that would have authorized the release of roughly 13,000 state prisoners. The Senate passed a bill that could allow terminally ill prisoners to be freed more quickly by the Prisoner Review Board. 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. Im open to all things that are positive, he said. The move was criticized by some advocates of prisoners rights because of its deteriorated state, but state officials said repairs were made and public health officials inspected it. Already approved by the state Senate, it will go before voters, appearing on Illinois ballot in 2022. AT FINAL DISCHARGE, THE ADULT PAROLE SERVICES FILES ARE SENT BACK TO THE INSTITUTION WHERE THEY ARE STORED AND EVENTUALLY MICROFILMED. Members of End Illinois Prison Lockdown Coalition rally as they call out Gov. Roger Hertzberg, 76, died of COVID-19 complications Sept. 24 at Robinson Correctional Center. J.B. Pritzker could help the effort with the stroke of a pen. Op-ed: The vaccine showdown no one is talking about: An Illinois mandate vs. the state's prison staffs. The Senate passed a bill that could allow terminally ill prisoners PNx SgXBN_]W*o!'13! ". "By signing the Joe Coleman Medical Release Act into law, it's my intention to honor Joe Coleman's legacy as a father, as a veteran, as a man who spent his days raising funds for charity from behind bars," said Governor JB Pritzker. There was so much information that was coming and we had to figure it out for ourselves because there was just no guidance for correctional settings as it relates to this outbreak, he said. And the record here shows that the authorities in this state are doing just that, with constantly evolving procedures increasing the number of inmates released on a daily basis.. W&lP-1C/(JISe?jp}2 =U*#Ochs#U, MI6rje{ As PLN has reported extensively in the past, while most states and the federal government have medical release laws on the books, sick prisoners still generally die in He has come back to normal now since coming home with family, but remains thankful. This commitment is at the forefront of our operations, hiring, policies and procedures, and training. That is the highest figure ever. Prisons in Illinois, nationally face staff shortages as correction officers quit amid COVID. An early release law is a state criminal law that allows a prisoner to be released before the end of their prison term. Camren Wynter hit a three-pointer with 0.7 seconds left to give Penn State a 68-65 victory against Northwestern. Justin L. Fowler/The State Journal-Register via AP. May 12, 2020: Arkansas state officials announced that 300 inmates had been released from state prisons, and the states Board of Corrections have made over 1,200 inmates eligible for parole since April. Gray had lived behind bars for more than 40 years, serving a life sentence for hiring a relative to kill his business partner in 1978. This on its face seems like a really nice idea but well be dealing with the negative fallout of an ill thought-out constitutional provision.. An Illinois lawmaker and a county sheriff are raising fresh concerns about Gov. Up to 60 days will be given in the next month to prisoners deemed low and medium risk, the settlement states. Worldwide there are 11m behind bars, according to Penal Reform International, a pressure group. But legislators agreed to hold the measure as they work on a compromise. The release of inmates requires a process that gives close attention to detail, for the safety of each inmate, his or her family, and the community at large demands a sensible and individualized release plan especially during a pandemic, Dow wrote. Also this month, for those prisons where infections are soaring, both workers and inmates are being tested every three days until no new cases are identified for two weeks. Like other Chicagoans, we have ideas about what the next mayor should do. Bedi, though, said there are reports that a significant number of correctional officers are refusing vaccines, which continues to pose a risk to those in congregate settings. McDonald questions whether her son received prompt medical attention. But a coalition of advocacy groups that sued the state over the issue said the IDOC should free thousands more who are either old, infirm, nonviolent or near the end of their sentences. To see charts broken down by prison, click here. Dozens of legal and community advocacy groups signed an open letter Monday urging the Illinois Department of Public Health to prioritize incarcerated individuals and staff working in jails and prisons in its COVID-19 vaccine rollout. In cases of medical WebIllinois The recidivism rate in Illinois within one year of release is 17% and within three years of release is 43%. Press Release - Tuesday, February 21, 2023 A spokesperson for Pritzker was not immediately available for comment. To donate to our work fighting the spread of coronavirus in Illinois' prisons. 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