Many of these men were convicted of horrific acts of violence, often in their youth. He tested positive for COVID-19 around Labor Day. But they described widespread illness, unsanitary conditions and struggles to get tested and receive adequate medical care. Building Blocks of Success IDOT announces March dates for Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program workshops. Illinois Prisons Are COVID-19 Hotspots. He said he continues to bathe using the sink in his cell rather than risk infection by sharing a shower room with others. The Las Vegas woman and her husband, Roger, were nabbed in Illinois with nearly 50 pounds of pot on their way to Pittsburgh in 2012. She said prison officials did not notify her or Wilsons wife that he was hospitalized until the family made repeated phone calls. 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. Camren Wynter hit a three-pointer with 0.7 seconds left to give Penn State a 68-65 victory against Northwestern. Since then, the total number of infections has risen by more than 9,000 cases, state data shows. If you are a member of the press, please contact our Director of Communications, Megan Groves, at megan@uplcchicago.org. The IDOC denied a Tribune open-records request for information about Bourbons death, citing confidentiality exemptions. Over four months, only one inmate died of COVID-19 systemwide. Cynthia McDonalds son, Joseph Wilson, 44, died of a COVID-19-related illness while hospitalized on April 13. A day later, Gray died of complications related to COVID-19. Photos: Northwestern loses to Penn State 68-65 in overtime, Nick Niego is back as Brother Rice stuns St. Rita. The man was imprisoned at Stateville Correctional Center, where officials say there are now 12 men who are hospitalized, "including several requiring ventilators.". This legislation gives the PRB the authority to grant or deny a prisoner early release based on their medical incapacity or terminal illness. He cited the rising numbers and urged the department to act quickly because of an anticipated nationwide fall/winter surge, making a priority of prisons with large elderly populations, such as the one in Dixon. McDonald questions whether her son received prompt medical attention. A stress fracture in his shin. (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. Early release from prison is sometimes She said the Department of Corrections already had a draft policy similar to the one reached in the agreement that was set to be implemented July 1. Terminally ill incarcerated people would only be eligible if they have family able to care for them and are expected to die within 18 months, OConnor said, adding the new measure would be used when being imprisoned doesnt make a difference anymore., But state Sen. Terri Bryant pointed to cases in the states Department of Corrections where physicians said someone would imminently die over and over and over again.. Gray is one of at least 60 incarcerated people who have died since March after becoming infected with the new coronavirus in Illinois custody a death toll that has doubled since November, state data through Dec. 22 shows. Illinois will soon begin vaccinating prisoners against COVID-19. Similar to what happened in the outside world, the pandemic seemed under control in Illinois prisons most of the summer. In total, more than 10,000 inmates and staff have tested positive from the start of the pandemic. stream "This bill creates policy that honors people's humanity while at the same time prioritizing public safety," said Lt. 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. "I am proud that Illinois is leading with compassion and bringing a restorative justice lens to criminal justice policy making. Jeffreys said the outbreak mitigation program is in place at nine prisons, with several more planned. IDOC has about 1,000 unfilled, budgeted positions, according to the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31. Read it here! AT FINAL DISCHARGE, THE ADULT PAROLE SERVICES FILES ARE SENT BACK TO THE INSTITUTION WHERE THEY ARE STORED AND EVENTUALLY MICROFILMED. I want it [to be] clear that while I will continue to negotiate in good faith till the 11th hour of this General Assembly, I will not go quietly without passing something for an elected school board this year, said the Northwest Side Democrat, who is a sponsor of another elected school board measure. On April 22, 2020, Chicago area civil rights groups came together to write a letter of support for the actions of Illinois Governor Pritzker. ", [{"code":"en","title":"Illinois' Virtual Agent","message":"Hello"},{"code":"es","title":"Agente virtual de Illinois","message":"Hola"}]. The pandemic hit Illinois prison system hard last spring, with cases mushrooming and fatalities reported at more than a dozen facilities before cases leveled off late in the year. 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. Legislators designed the He has been living with Bill Ryan, a longtime criminal justice advocate and death penalty abolitionist, since his release. Roger Hertzberg, 76, died of COVID-19 complications Sept. 24 at Robinson Correctional Center. ICJIAs Research Hub is funded through a grant from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Eddie Caumiant, regional director of the union that includes state corrections employees, said the pandemic has exacerbated staffing shortages and some staff work multiple 16-hour double shifts a week., Linda Savage, 64, a nurse at Vienna Correctional Center in downstate Vienna, died Nov. 6, 2020, of complications related to COVID-19. If you are in contact with a friend, family member, or other loved one who is currently in IDOC custody and believe that your loved one would be comfortable with you sharing their information with us, please take a moment to fill out this survey. As of mid-December, about 400 employees were out sick and up to 100 more are usually out waiting for test results. After some back and forth on the bill between Lightford and Martwick, state Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, jumped in and told legislators hes confident that the General Assembly will pass a compromise before its scheduled Monday adjournment. A group of civil rights attorneys initiated a united legal challenge Thursday against Gov. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Many inmates, relatives and recently freed men interviewed by the Tribune agreed that access to masks and cleaning supplies has improved since earlier this year, when there was a national shortage. We must act quickly. The lawsuit filed in April 2020 alleged prison settings pose a particular risk of spreading COVID-19, with catastrophic consequences not just to the prisoners and staff, but also to their communities and the hospitals that serve them., Stateville Correctional Center, a maximum security state prison for men in Crest Hill, on March 30, 2020. Stateville Correctional Center, a maximum security state prison for men in Crest Hill, on March 30, 2020. 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. Our lives matter, Ehlers said in an email. "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. For weeks, two houses in Illinois Vienna Correctional Center ran on generator power and had intermittent failures. 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. 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. He was scared to death. Watson Gray, 73, died of complications related to COVID-19 on Nov. 6, 2020, at Dixon Correctional Center. "What we've accomplished is really working with the state to make sure that they're doing everything they can to utilize the avenues available to them, where it's safe and appropriate to do so, to be releasing folks or to transferring them over to home detention, particularly those who are getting out soon anyway," Antholt, who works for Equip for Equality, said in a phone interview Tuesday. The lawsuit argued that keeping medically vulnerable prisoners who are at risk of contracting COVID-19 confined in close proximity to one another violated their constitutional rights, including the right protecting individuals from cruel and unusual punishment. The Illinois Department of Corrections will identify medically vulnerable and elderly prisoners eligible for early release or electronic home monitoring. Activists, inmates and family members discuss the impact of COVID-19 on Illinois jails and prisons, How Gov. 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. 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 She cared about people a whole lot, said her husband. Watson Gray, 73, died of complications related to COVID-19 on Nov. 6, 2020, at Dixon Correctional Center. A broken ankle. "The Joe Coleman Medical Release Act will make sure that doesn't happen to an inmate in Illinois anymore.". Andrew Sullender reported from Springfield, Rachel Hinton from Chicago. An early release law is a state criminal law that allows a prisoner to be released before the end of their prison term. 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. Anthony Ehlers, who is serving life at Stateville Correctional Center for a 1992 murder, said he was sick in March and likely infected his longtime cellmate, James Scott. The federal lawsuit asked the court to issue an emergency order that would have authorized the release of roughly 13,000 state prisoners. The couple, who had not seen each other since being imprisoned, were allowed a final phone call before he died. He had three disciplinary tickets in four decades for minor infractions, said his lawyer, Soble. Officials also said they are doing more to hold staff accountable if they go unmasked at work. Watson Gray, 73, died of complications related to COVID-19 on Nov. 6, 2020, at Dixon Correctional Center. The department says another source of infection is detainees being moved from county jails to prisons. Under the settlement, the Department of Corrections agreed to "identify and evaluate medically vulnerable prisoners for release through legally available mechanisms." Savage, a contract employee, had planned to retire in March but died on Nov. 6. Mason was freed from Pontiac Correctional Center on Nov. 25 by Gov. Under current law, terminally ill or mentally incapacitated prisoners who wish to be released to the care of family in their final days must rely on a commutation from the governor. She said her retired parents were struggling financially when they committed the crime. (Youngrae Kim / Chicago Tribune). Ryan is among those trying to help free more prisoners during the pandemic, especially the older people or those with terminal diseases.. J.B. Pritzker through executive clemency. About one-third of Dixons staff was out recently due to sickness, union officials said, and at least 10 inmates, including Watson Gray, have died there since November. An Illinois lawmaker and a county sheriff are raising fresh concerns about Gov. Denice Bronis gets emotional while discussing her fears about her son's health at her home in East Dundee, Dec. 4, 2020. 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 settlement arises out of the lawsuit filed last April on behalf of medically vulnerable and elderly prisoners, by a group of public interest lawyers, including attorneys from Equip for Equality, Loevy & Loevy law firm, the Uptown People's Law Center, and the Illinois Prison Project. Mason, 76, said a feeling of lightness overtook him when a correctional officer stopped by his cell to tell him he was going home. Their complaints echo a survey conducted in April and early May by the John Howard Association, a prison watchdog group. RECORDKEEPING PRACTICES DIFFER IN EACH AREA OF ILLINOIS' PAROLE DISTRICTS. He argues the primary cause of the surge is staff infections and said IDOC should have responded with more urgency to Rabas testing recommendations. The effort includes a proposed class-action lawsuit filed Thursday in federal court, naming Gov. State Sen. Steve McClure, R-Springfield, said allowing many of these inmates to be released would be unfair to the victims who cannot speak for themselves. Op-ed: The vaccine showdown no one is talking about: An Illinois mandate vs. the state's prison staffs. State Rep. Marcus Evans, Jr., D-Chicago, celebrates passage of a ballot question for a constitutional amendment protecting the right to unionize on the floor of the Illinois House of Representatives Wednesday. Echevarria is incarcerated at Menard Correctional Center. Once you enshrine this at the constitutional level, any change is going to be very difficult to reverse, Mazzochi said. Infections have increased about 23% in Chicago over the past week, mostly among people age 18 to 40, according to city Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady. 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. There is no question that COVID was going to make it into the prisons. 3 0 obj Like other Chicagoans, we have ideas about what the next mayor should do. Before the committee voted, state Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford said the House bill as well as the one shes sponsoring on behalf of Mayor Lori Lightfoot still needs work. Denice Bronis said her son, Matthew Echevarria, tested positive around Labor Day at Menard Correctional Center. An amended lawsuit filed against Rob Jeffreys, director of the Illinois Department of Corrections, and Gov. The surge has continued, leading to sickness and death that advocates say was avoidable. "Thanks to the many advocates and General Assembly sponsors Senator John Connor and Representative Will Guzzardi, more families will get to say goodbye to their loved ones the way we all hope to get to when the time comes: together. The latest IDOC data shows 82 prison staff and 45 prisoners are currently positive for COVID-19, and a total of 4,177 staff and 10,768 prisoners have tested He called his crimes stupid mistakes.. Fatalities have been reported in nearly 20 IDOC facilities, with Dixon one of the latest hot spots. According to the settlement, the Corrections Department will continue to identify and evaluate medically vulnerable prisoners for release even after the pandemic. J.B. Pritzker last week claims that the states prison system has failed to protect medically vulnerable prisoners from COVID-19. 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. Theyll all be given access to vaccines during the next phase, know as Phase 1B. 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 means prison medical copays must go. The night after the first man at Stateville Correctional Center died from COVID-19, a prisoner were referring to as Harold, said he was watching the nightly news in his cell. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune). Hertzberg has 13 months left on her sentence for marijuana trafficking. 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