In response, the states lawyers said pilot programs were underway, but broadening testing at dozens of facilities was no easy charge and more time was needed to evaluate effectiveness. Once you enshrine this at the constitutional level, any change is going to be very difficult to reverse, Mazzochi said. At Stateville, all but three who died were serving life sentences for murder. Gov. 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 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. Members of End Illinois Prison Lockdown Coalition rally as they call out Gov. Lester Mason, 76, at the home of his nephew in East Peoria on Dec. 14, 2020. To provide dignity for all Illinois residents in their final days, HB 3665 allows for the discretionary early release of those who are medically incapacitated or terminally ill and serving time in an Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) facility. All three cases demand the swift release of those prisoners most vulnerable to the epidemic before they fall victim to it. The legislation was named after Joe Coleman, a father, decorated veteran, and active member in his community who had terminal cancer. But some Illinois House Republicans have criticized his administration for releasing prisoners who committed violent crimes and for not being more transparent. "I am proud that Illinois is leading with compassion and bringing a restorative justice lens to criminal justice policy making. J.B. Pritzkers decision to release inmates as the spread of COVID-19 continues in the states prisons, including questions about transparency. Press Release - Tuesday, February 21, 2023 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. This commitment is at the forefront of our WebIllinois The recidivism rate in Illinois within one year of release is 17% and within three years of release is 43%. Stateville Correctional Center personnel pull carts of hand sanitizer and bars of soap on April 24, 2020. 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. 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. (April 17) In Illinois, the governor signed an executive order that eases the Additionally, the Corrections Department will give credit for good behavior to prisoners within nine months of their release date. 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. Alan, welcome to the show. IDOC should view this agreement as a first step towards maximizing its power to release people from prison and reunite families. 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. This is absolutely a failure by the state, said Jennifer Soble, executive director of the Illinois Prison Project. It is still very much a real issue., Jennifer Soble, executive director of the Illinois Prison Project, which also represented the plaintiffs in the suit, said IDOC also is working on new policies regarding electronic detention, discretionary sentencing credits and others that will help thousands of other inmates as well.. On April 17th, he commuted the sentences of 7 people in Ohio state prisons. 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 releases follow an April 20 directive from Gov. 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. It remains a public health crisis, she said. 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. The Illinois Department of Corrections and Gov. 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. "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. As of Monday, more than 10,800 state inmates and 4,200 staff members had tested positive for the virus, according to IDOC statistics posted online. The tragedy is the number of people who have become sick and died. About 400 staff and 1,700 inmates are considered current cases. But prisons are among the hardest places to protect. He tested positive for COVID-19 around Labor Day. 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. %PDF-1.3 Releasing 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," the opinion continued. WebGovernors in at least 11 states have issued executive orders that block new transfers into state prisons, allow early release for some prisoners, or both. 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. Even if they matter to no one but us., Stateville Correctional Center personnel pull carts of hand sanitizer and bars of soap on April 24, 2020. Through public records and interviews, the Tribune identified the first 50 inmates who died in the pandemic. This landmark legislation requires that PRB both verify eligibility for release and consider victim statements in making its determinations.". She cared about people a whole lot, said her husband. The most recent numbers provided by IDOC show that 87 prisoners and one staff member have died of COVID-19-related causes since the beginning of the pandemic. 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. "Too many seriously ill people in prisons are getting substandard medical care at exorbitant cost to the state," said State Representative Will Guzzardi (D- Chicago). 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. People in Prison in Winter 2021-22 Vera Institute of Justice, February, 2022 All states and the federal prison system reduced their prison populations in 2020, but 19 states and the federal government increased the number of people incarcerated in prisons in 2021. COVID looks like it may stay. 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 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. That means prison medical copays must go. Sedelmaier died March 29 at age 59. ,0(|GfVMJx'#Kf8Z%jZNtFc+ZT\;SUF-}T&v`)B?>7|'e=6/;_u$dNJ.U*n+Nykp$^+ He was scared to death. The increased testing in recent weeks helped drive the most recent jump in positive case numbers, Jeffreys said. The latest surge has far exceeded any previous peaks inside the Illinois Department of Corrections since the start of the pandemic. The settlement reached March 23, 2021 will result in the immediate release of more than 1,000 people from IDOC facilities. 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. As for what caused the resurgence, thats in dispute. The effort includes a proposed class-action lawsuit filed Thursday in federal court, naming Gov. Denice Bronis said her son, Matthew Echevarria, tested positive around Labor Day at Menard Correctional Center. IDOC officials said that when the virus is spreading in communities, staff may contract it at home and bring it into prisons. 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. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune). 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 legislation gives the PRB the authority to grant or deny a prisoner early release based on their medical incapacity or terminal illness. 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. Heres some of whats on our to-do list. Since the start of the pandemic, more than 10,800 Illinois prisoners and 4,200 staff members tested positive for COVID-19, according to the department of corrections. "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. 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 Lawmakers pass bill on early release of terminally ill prisoners, advance effort to put collective bargaining rights into constitution, State lawmakers address cannabis licensing, Asian American history, free menstrual hygiene products, Fact-check: State senator makes the grade with remark about public support for elected Chicago school board, Sexual assault in schools, life-sustaining medical treatment, marriage license language all addressed in state bills, Aiming to predict COVID, future pandemics better, CDC opens infectious diseases forecasting center, Unmasked transit: Pritzker ends mask mandates in public transportation, airports. 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. Theyll all be given access to vaccines during the next phase, know as Phase 1B. On April 2, 2020, in response to the swiftly spreading coronavirus epidemic in Illinois' prisons, a consortium of the area's leading civil rights attorneys and community advocates filed three cases seeking release of prisoners. Mayor poses question to casino opponents: Do you want your taxes raised? The Illinois legislature has provided IDOC with significant discretion to release people, and it should continue to do so, Bedi said. Preventing the spread of covid-19 is difficult everywhere. 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. The couples daughter, Julie Rittenbaugh, thinks her father caught the virus while receiving chemotherapy for cancer in the prisons medical unit. A broken ankle. Recently, Governor Pritzker announced that all staff working in Illinois prisons will have to be vaccinated for COVID-19 by mid-October. In nearly two dozen of the cases, Pritzker granted freedom to men serving natural life sentences for armed robbery under the states habitual criminal law, which after a third offense triggers the mandatory sentence even if no one was physically harmed. "Governor Pritzker's prioritization of legislative reforms of the criminal justice system reinforces the importance of collaboration among Illinois agencies to cultivate positive change.". "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. Herman Townsell, who spent 71/2 years in prison for a 1994 home invasion, kidnapping and sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl and has been in and out of prison The rate of deaths slowed tremendously after IDOC started universal testing and voluntary vaccinations of staff and inmates. ", "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). Dr. Stewart's video is addressed specifically to members of the Rasho class-action suit and their loved ones. 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. But a coalition of advocacy groups that sued, brought in about 30 members of the Illinois National Guard, mandatory sentence even if no one was physically, Photos: Northwestern loses to Penn State 68-65 in overtime, Nick Niego is back as Brother Rice stuns St. Rita. "I watched helplessly as my father died a lonely death behind bars," said Joe Coleman, Jr. "I thank the Governor and the General Assembly for ensuring no other family has to experience that despair, and for doing so in the honor of my father. There were physicians that would tell us that a particular incarcerated individual was going to pass very soon and then, two, three years later the person is still living, said the Murphysboro Republican. 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. The Illinois Department of Corrections will identify medically vulnerable and elderly prisoners eligible for early release or electronic home monitoring. In emailed responses to Tribune questions, Ryburn said he was not tested after Bourbon died but he did not get sick. Bronis' son, Matthew Echevarria, is incarcerated at Menard Correctional Center. He said he continues to bathe using the sink in his cell rather than risk infection by sharing a shower room with others. "Illinois continues to lead the Nation in sensible criminal justice reform with Governor Pritzker's approval today of the Joel Coleman Act," said Craig Findley, Chairman of the Illinois Prisoner Review Board (PRB). Gov. LockA locked padlock Lester Mason, 76, at the home of his nephew in East Peoria on Dec. 14, 2020. This can include circumstances where an individual may be non-ambulatory due to a spinal injury. Citing his age and poor health, Grays lawyer made a final plea for mercy dated Nov. 5. Click here to sign up for the To see charts broken down by prison, click here. There is no question that COVID was going to make it into the prisons. 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. 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. J.B. Pritzker expanded under an executive order last year, are defined as a "temporary leave of absence from secure custody for limited medical purposes for offenders who, because of a medical condition, are determined to be either of limited physical mobility or terminally ill.". As efforts continue to slow the spread of COVID-19 at Cook County Jail by reducing the inmate population, Gov. A broken ankle. The man was imprisoned at Stateville Correctional Center, where officials say there are now 12 men who are hospitalized, "including several requiring ventilators.". Jeffreys said the outbreak mitigation program is in place at nine prisons, with several more planned. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Im open to all things that are positive, he said. (Youngrae Kim / Chicago Tribune). They ranged in age from 35 to 80, with a median age of 62. FILES FROM 1945 THROUGH 1969 HAVE EITHER BEEN MICROFILMED OR DESTROYED; NONE ARE AWAITING PROCESS. 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. 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.. A 13th Stateville inmate died in August. After a deadly second wave of the coronavirus pandemic in Illinois prisons sickened thousands of workers and inmates, the state will begin vaccinating both groups in the coming week a plan that drew praise from advocates but provoked the ire of some lawmakers who argue criminals should not be prioritized. 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. Mason said he spent the decades reading novels, writing to his family and mentoring young inmates. The epicenter of IDOC outbreaks in the first wave was at Stateville Correctional Center near Joliet, where 12 prisoners died in 4 weeks. 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. 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