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. The first, Russell Sedelmaier, was convicted of a 2005 double homicide in Buffalo Grove. The union instead proposed that it will continue to educate staff, in the hope that more staff will agree to vaccinate voluntarily. ", "Joe Coleman, a decorated Vietnam veteran, died of cancer awaiting clemency on a 1981 case where no one was hurt, without the opportunity to say goodbye to his family from his deathbed," said State Senator John Connor (D-Crest Hill). The Senate passed a bill that could allow terminally ill prisoners to be freed more quickly by the Prisoner Review Board. It was dropped near the main entrance of the prison near Joliet by Jennifer Lackey of Northwestern Universitys Prison Education Program. State officials say symptomatic inmates are tested and isolated and those with the most serious cases are transferred to hospitals. Suburban Crime Denice Bronis said her son, Matthew Echevarria, tested positive around Labor Day at Menard Correctional Center. Denice Bronis gets emotional while discussing her fears about her son's health at her home in East Dundee, Dec. 4, 2020. Gov. To see charts broken down by prison, click here. That is the highest figure ever. People incarcerated in Illinois will be among those vaccinated against coronavirus during the next phase, according to a newly released state plan. They work tremendously hard under really difficult circumstances, Caumiant said. The Illinois Department of Corrections will identify medically vulnerable and elderly prisoners eligible for early release or electronic home monitoring. 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 majority were nonwhite, with 24 listed as Black. An amended lawsuit filed against Rob Jeffreys, director of the Illinois Department of Corrections, and Gov. 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. The department says another source of infection is detainees being moved from county jails to prisons. 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. This legislation gives the PRB the authority to grant or deny a prisoner early release based on their medical incapacity or terminal illness. It remains to be seen if the law does anything. Many of these men were convicted of horrific acts of violence, often in their youth. He said, Ill be with you. . The surge has continued, leading to sickness and death that advocates say was avoidable. More than 1,000 Illinois prisoners to be released under COVID-19 lawsuit settlement, Civil rights attorneys launch legal challenge to free prisoners at risk of coronavirus, Aiming to predict COVID, future pandemics better, CDC opens infectious diseases forecasting center, Unmasked transit: Pritzker ends mask mandates in public transportation, airports, US mask mandate for planes, other travel voided by federal judge in Florida, Rising COVID-19 cases prompt warnings for Illinoisans to remain vigilant and remain up to date on vaccine shots, Dr. Ngozi Ezike to become CEO of Sinai Chicago hospital system, With COVID-19 cases rising, Pritzker still searching for public health chief to succeed Ezike, a hero during this pandemic, Lightfoot is out, Vallas and Johnson are in the April runoff, Chicago police officer dies after exchanging gunfire at close range with suspect in Gage Park, Analysis: How Lightfoot went from political rock star to rock bottom, Patrick Kane leaves Chicago with clear legacy: Blackhawks greatest player of all time, Mayor Lori Lightfoot was in a fight she couldnt have won, Northwestern falls to Penn State in OT for third consecutive loss, Bulls nearly blow 21-point lead but survive against Pistons, Defensive whiz Richard Zoller, high-flying Angelo Ciaravino help Mount Carmel take down Hyde Park. 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. Advocates for prisoners rights say the states delays in broadening staff testing, releasing thousands of medically vulnerable or other nonviolent prisoners and better enforcing a staff mask mandate have led to widespread infections and more deaths. A man incarcerated at the Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill is among eight new deaths from the Coronavirus in Illinois, and 18 other inmates were taken to AMITA Health Saint Joseph Medical Center in Joliet, officials said. 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 (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune). ", "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. 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. THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS MAINTAINS TWO COMPUTERIZED RECORD SYSTEMS. 120 S Riverside Plaza, Chicago, IL 60606, United States, Box 6000, Dept F, Rockville, MD 20849, United States. The bill provides reasonable timeframes and deadlines for the Prisoner Review Board to review cases involving medical incapacity or terminal illness, and to determine if those inmates with victim input would basically have a quality-of-life improvement if theyre moved out of prison, Connor said. Chaney, who was granted a sentence commutation by Gov. 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. 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. 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. IDOC officials said that when the virus is spreading in communities, staff may contract it at home and bring it into prisons. Todays guest is Alan Mills, the Executive Director of the Uptown Peoples Law Center in Chicago. %PDF-1.3 He said he continues to bathe using the sink in his cell rather than risk infection by sharing a shower room with others. J.B. Pritzker could help the effort with the stroke of a pen. A consortium of Chicago civil rights attorneys and community activists who filed the suit initially sought the release of as many as 13,000 at-risk prisoners due to the virus. Mason, 76, said a feeling of lightness overtook him when a correctional officer stopped by his cell to tell him he was going home. Photos: Northwestern loses to Penn State 68-65 in overtime, Nick Niego is back as Brother Rice stuns St. Rita. The Illinois Department of Corrections will identify medically vulnerable and elderly prisoners eligible for early release or electronic home monitoring. 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. Ryan is among those trying to help free more prisoners during the pandemic, especially the older people or those with terminal diseases.. Camren Wynter hit a three-pointer with 0.7 seconds left to give Penn State a 68-65 victory against Northwestern. FILES FROM 1945 THROUGH 1969 HAVE EITHER BEEN MICROFILMED OR DESTROYED; NONE ARE AWAITING PROCESS. Alan, welcome to the show. 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. That means prison medical copays must go. Currently, 57 inmates and 90 employees have tested positive for COVID-19, the records show. Matthew Echevarria's photos are displayed at his mother's home in East Dundee on Dec. 4, 2020. Heres some of whats on our to-do list. The releases follow an April 20 directive from Gov. To try to hinder the pandemics spread, IDOC brought in about 30 members of the Illinois National Guard to assist with routine health screenings and other duties at Stateville. 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. 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.. Amanda Antholt, one of the attorneys representing the prisoners, said the settlement will likely affect up to 1,200 inmates across Illinois prisons. 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. He said the department has responded aggressively to a challenging public health crisis that has yet to yield. Im open to all things that are positive, he said. Staffers are expected to be prioritized with those in the health care field and other first responders. 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. So Why Have Only 27% Of Workers Taken The Vaccine? Built in the early 1920s and dubbed the roundhouse, the unit was used to quarantine infected inmates. 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. Her husband, Terry, said she said was a gifted nurse with a tender heart. She loved camping, travel, flea markets and yard sales. The Illinois Department of Corrections and a number of elderly and medically vulnerable prisoners seeking early release from state prisons due to COVID J.B. Pritzker, which claimed they werent doing enough to protect against COVID-19. 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. "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. This is absolutely a failure by the state, said Jennifer Soble, executive director of the Illinois Prison Project. Matthew Echevarria's photos are displayed at his mother's home in East Dundee on Dec. 4, 2020. xWn6+f"E^,"zhzXYE6I~T8B=BSg73tOG##LXEO}n 1mRaIm2%.yM 7{j ! 8zvv|i(8 F+A17qnR=!ZupvWTu]=$n#noOzN"D,?DoW8}'^\ More than 4,000 jail detainees have entered state prisons since then. Lester Mason, 76, at the home of his nephew in East Peoria on Dec. 14, 2020. Officials also said they are doing more to hold staff accountable if they go unmasked at work. All 50 were men. APPENDIXES, TABULAR INFORMATION, AND FIGURES ARE INCLUDED. The Illinois Department of Corrections and Gov. His cellmate filed a written grievance seeking an investigation into the staffs handling of the matter. 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. There is no question that COVID was going to make it into the prisons. Pritzker Joins Reproductive Freedom Alliance. Our lives matter, Ehlers said in an email. To donate to our work fighting the spread of coronavirus in Illinois' prisons, click here. A MONTHLY REPORT GIVING COUNSELOR CASELOADS AND TRANSFERS IS PUBLISHED. Members of End Illinois Prison Lockdown Coalition rally as they call out Gov. The issue of early releases is a Catch-22 for Gov. 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. "I am proud that Illinois is leading with compassion and bringing a restorative justice lens to criminal justice policy making. Official websites use .gov 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. It does not, however, include details about hospitalizations, contact tracing or fatalities. Up to 60 days will be given in the next month to prisoners deemed low and medium risk, the settlement states. Savage, a contract employee, had planned to retire in March but died on Nov. 6. This report has been corrected to indicate that the state Senate had already passed the amendment. "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. About 1,000 Illinois prison inmates nearing the end of their sentences could soon be released under a settlement announced Tuesday in a federal lawsuit filed as the 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. Since then, the total number of infections has risen by more than 9,000 cases, state data shows. (WBEZ has agreed to not identify the prisoner by his real name. ILLINOIS HAS JUST CONVERTED FROM AN INDETERMINATE TO A DETERMINATE SENTENCING SYSTEM. Of the 16,000 inmates who responded, 13% alleged they sought health care related to COVID-19 in the prior week but had not received a response. The tragedy is the number of people who have become sick and died. Read more here! A federal judge Friday blocked a bid by state prisoners for an accelerated release or transfer amid the coronavirus, finding state officials current processes dont violate their constitutional rights. Arkee Chaney shows a painting he made about a childhood memory of his father, at his home in Westchester on Dec. 4, 2020. Help me. That plea, as a mother, is rough to hear.. LockA locked padlock She said prison officials did not notify her or Wilsons wife that he was hospitalized until the family made repeated phone calls. As millions of Illinoisans are still waiting for their chance to be vaccinated against COVID-19, and even those who are eligible are scrambling for appointments, at least one group is largely giving up its place at the front of the vaccine line: people who work in Illinois prisons. 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