Between March 2020 and March 2021, 2,472 inmates have left IDOC custodywith an earned discretionary sentencing credit, according to spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. COVID-19 continues to have a devastating effect on one of Chicagos most vulnerable congregate populations: jail and prison detainees. The board also makes recommendations for clemency petitions to the Governor. As a result of this settlement, prison officials will finally begin to address this issue.. ILLINOIS HAS JUST CONVERTED FROM AN INDETERMINATE TO A DETERMINATE SENTENCING SYSTEM. A new point of contention is where prisoners will be on the vaccine distribution list. 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. J.B. Pritzkers failure to release vulnerable prisoners from overcrowded facilities will cost unnecessary loss of life behind bars and in surrounding communities, say advocates and medical professionals. A stress fracture in his shin. Last April, a federal judge denied their emergency request, finding the state was not violating prisoners' constitutional rights. "Instead, those who pose no risk to the public should be able to go home, get the care they need and spend their final days with their families. The Illinois legislature has provided IDOC with significant discretion to release people, and it should continue to do so, Bedi said. 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. He wasnt really asking for another chance, said Lindsay Hagy, Grays attorney. Like other Chicagoans, we have ideas about what the next mayor should do. Earlier this month, the state began regularly testing all prison employees whether or not they have symptoms. A spokesperson for Pritzker was not immediately available for comment. According to the settlement, the Corrections Department will continue to identify and evaluate medically vulnerable prisoners for release even after the pandemic. He tested positive for COVID-19 around Labor Day. 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. "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. Denice Bronis gets emotional while discussing her fears about her son's health at her home in East Dundee, Dec. 4, 2020. J.B. Pritzker, which claimed they werent doing enough to protect against COVID-19. UNDER THE LAW EFFECTING THIS CHANGE, PRISON TERMS ARE ESTABLISHED FOR SERIOUS OFFENSES AND FOR SUPERVISED RELEASE TERMS, AND PAROLE NO LONGER EXISTS. Watson Gray, 73, died of complications related to COVID-19 on Nov. 6, 2020, at Dixon Correctional Center. Mason said he spent the decades reading novels, writing to his family and mentoring young inmates. The settlement reached March 23, 2021 will result in the immediate release of more than 1,000 people from IDOC facilities. The latest surge has far exceeded any previous peaks inside the Illinois Department of Corrections since the start of the pandemic. The department also reopened an old housing unit that was closed in 2016 because of mold, bad plumbing and other issues. The epicenter of IDOC outbreaks in the first wave was at Stateville Correctional Center near Joliet, where 12 prisoners died in 4 weeks. ", "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). WebThe First Step Act made important changes to how federal compassionate release works. Arkee Chaney shows a painting he made about a childhood memory of his father, at his home in Westchester on Dec. 4, 2020. Click the videos below to hear messages from Dr. John Raba and Dr. Pablo Stewart, two of ourindependent court monitors in Lippert v. Baldwin, about COVID-19 vaccines. 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. It changes and expands the compassionate release eligibility criteria; ensures the prisoners have the right to appeal the BOPs denial or neglect of the prisoners request for a compassionate release directly to court; and provides other important features, such as Roger and Susan Hertzberg before being convicted of marijuana trafficking for hauling nearly 50 pounds of pot through Illinois in 2012. Isolated in solitary confinement as the pandemic swept through Illinois prisons, inmates diagnosed with mental illness are beyond the breaking point, setting fire to their cells and harming themselves after more than a year without adequate mental health care. Antholt said the settlement also ensures the Department of Corrections is providing training to all the relevant facilities' staff about how to accommodate the needs of vulnerable prisoners. Fatalities have been reported in nearly 20 IDOC facilities, with Dixon one of the latest hot spots. In addition, the state agreed that IDOC will continue to identify and evaluate medically vulnerable prisoners for release through legally available mechanisms, according to the terms of the settlement. 3 0 obj Editors Note: The print copy and a previous online version of this report contained incorrect information about the status of the constitutional amendment. This legislation gives the PRB the authority to grant or deny a prisoner early release based on their medical incapacity or terminal illness. Others are still hoping to be released. 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. Bronis' son, Matthew Echevarria, is incarcerated at Menard Correctional Center. But legislators agreed to hold the measure as they work on a compromise. A stress fracture in his shin. To donate to our work fighting the spread of coronavirus in Illinois' prisons, click here. The first, Russell Sedelmaier, was convicted of a 2005 double homicide in Buffalo Grove. But, between mid-August and mid-October, the cumulative number of inmate infections more than tripled and total staff cases more than doubled. The tragedy is the number of people who have become sick and died. ICJIAs Research Hub is funded through a grant from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Corrections, demanding the immediate release of Illinois prisoners vulnerable to the coronavirus. Additionally, He was scared to death. J.B. Pritzker could help the effort with the stroke of a pen. Press Release - Tuesday, February 21, 2023 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. IDOC should view this agreement as a first step towards maximizing its power to release people from prison and reunite families. Photos: Northwestern loses to Penn State 68-65 in overtime, Nick Niego is back as Brother Rice stuns St. Rita. The releases are set to resume soon. Theyll all be given access to vaccines during the next phase, know as Phase 1B. "(The prisoners) have provided no convincing reason for a federal court to intrude here and now -- either to issue a blanket order for the release of thousands of inmates or to superimpose a court-mandated and court-superintended process on the mechanisms currently in place to determine which IDOC inmates can and should be safely removed from prison facilities at this time," the judge wrote in his 48-page opinion. Up to 60 days will be given in the next month to prisoners deemed low and medium risk, the settlement states. The Illinois Department of Corrections will identify medically vulnerable and elderly prisoners eligible for early release or electronic home monitoring. 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 PRISON REVIEW BOARD RECEIVES A PRINTOUT OF BACKGROUND AND INSTITUTIONAL HISTORY ON EACH PERSON APPEARING BEFORE THE BOARD FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS SYSTEM AND IS SENT A MONTHLY PACKET OF INFORMATION FROM EACH INSTITUTION. Sadly, rather than engaging with the governor, AFSCME, the guards' union, immediately announced that it was opposed to any requirement that staff be vaccinated. An Illinois lawmaker and a county sheriff are raising fresh concerns about Gov. 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. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. They work tremendously hard under really difficult circumstances, Caumiant said. 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. 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. 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. More than 1,000 prisoners in Illinois are set to be released after a lawsuit settlement aimed at protecting medically vulnerable prisoners from COVID-19. APPENDIXES, TABULAR INFORMATION, AND FIGURES ARE INCLUDED. ", "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. A MONTHLY REPORT GIVING COUNSELOR CASELOADS AND TRANSFERS IS PUBLISHED. Alan, welcome to the show. A spokeswoman for Gov. The releases follow an April 20 directive from Gov. 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. Stateville Correctional Center personnel pull carts of hand sanitizer and bars of soap on April 24, 2020. Bronis' son, Matthew Echevarria, is incarcerated at Menard Correctional Center. 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 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. We urge officials to promptly release detainees who can be released safely. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. He called his crimes stupid mistakes.. 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. Many experts agree the best way to control the virus in prison is to reduce head count. The grievance alleges that he languished without meaningful medical intervention and that, after he died, his body was left in the cell for hours. As for what caused the resurgence, thats in dispute. 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. Officials also did not respond to a request for comment on the case. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune). To donate to our work fighting the spread of coronavirus in Illinois' prisons. Inmates with at least nine months of their sentence remaining who are considered low-risk will receive 60 days of good behavior credit, while those considered medium-risk will be awarded 30 days credit. ", [{"code":"en","title":"Illinois' Virtual Agent","message":"Hello"},{"code":"es","title":"Agente virtual de Illinois","message":"Hola"}]. 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.. Also, some prison staff will also undergo training on the Americans with Disabilities Act to help implement COVID-19 protections. The issue of early releases is a Catch-22 for Gov. One staff member a 64-year-old nurse near retirement also died. As COVID-19 vaccination distribution has expanded across the country, incarcerated people remain one of the populations that is both most vulnerable to COVID-19 and most distrustful of medical care, according to several legal advocacy organizations. The IDOC inmate population has dropped 19% since March to about 30,000, in part because of the nearly 3,000 early releases. 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 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. This is another step toward the world, the Illinois, our families deserve. 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. More than 1,000 prisoners in Illinois are set to be released after a lawsuit settlement aimed at protecting medically vulnerable prisoners from COVID-19. The Illinois Department of Corrections will identify medically vulnerable and elderly prisoners eligible for early release or electronic home monitoring. Camren Wynter hit a three-pointer with 0.7 seconds left to give Penn State a 68-65 victory against Northwestern. 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. 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. J.B. Pritzker and Rob Jeffreys, director of the Illinois Department of Corrections, as defendants. The Senate passed a bill that could allow terminally ill prisoners to be freed more quickly by the Prisoner Review Board. Click here to sign up for the (Family photo). That will result in the immediate release of over 1,000 prisoners, according to the Uptown Peoples Law Center. He said, Ill be with you. . 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. 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. Roger Hertzberg, 76, died of COVID-19 complications Sept. 24 at Robinson Correctional Center. 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. Built in the early 1920s and dubbed the roundhouse, the unit was used to quarantine infected inmates. Like other Chicagoans, we have ideas about what the next mayor should do. The outages made it harder to use the shared bathroom, one of the few places they could wash their hands. March 2022 2 0Act%20v1.29.2022.pdf. J.B. Pritzker arent doing enough to protect elderly and medically vulnerable inmates from COVID-19 inside state prison facilities, according to a lawsuit that claims inadequate testing and sanitation supplies have created conditions where the virus can spread like wildfire.. J.B. Pritzker last week claims that the states prison system has failed to protect medically vulnerable prisoners from COVID-19. Savage, a contract employee, had planned to retire in March but died on Nov. 6. Gov. There have been 87 Illinois prisoner deaths due to COVID, according to the Marshall Project's database. "This bill creates policy that honors people's humanity while at the same time prioritizing public safety," said Lt. 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. But state Rep. Deanne Mazzochi, R-Elmhurst, called the language of the amendment problematic, saying that the actual meaning of the provision might be left up to the Illinois Supreme Court. ", "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. McDonald questions whether her son received prompt medical attention. A state budget with firm fiscal foundation that shows tremendous progress? Or a cynical election-year ploy to buy votes? The settlement reached Tuesday called for the release of low- to medium-risk inmates who are within nine months of their release date and are eligible for certain good-time credits, court records show. % Alan Mills, executive director of Uptown Peoples Law Center, said prison officials have had the tools to identify and release prisoners who are eligible for years. While he was awaiting a decision on clemency, he passed away alone in prison, though he did not pose a risk to the public. Denice Bronis said her son, Matthew Echevarria, tested positive around Labor Day at Menard Correctional Center. 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. WebIllinois The recidivism rate in Illinois within one year of release is 17% and within three years of release is 43%. 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. 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. 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. 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. The lawsuit was one of two filed in the early days of the pandemic alleging that Gov. The roundhouse remains in use today. It does not, however, include details about hospitalizations, contact tracing or fatalities. He had three disciplinary tickets in four decades for minor infractions, said his lawyer, Soble. 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. Then the Power Started Going Out. 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. He said the department has responded aggressively to a challenging public health crisis that has yet to yield. THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS MAINTAINS TWO COMPUTERIZED RECORD SYSTEMS. Under the settlement, the Department of Corrections agreed to "identify and evaluate medically vulnerable prisoners for release through legally available mechanisms." This report has been corrected to indicate that the state Senate had already passed the amendment. 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. (Family photo). Echevarria was a Chicago high school student when police arrested him in a 1999 fatal shooting he insists he did not commit. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune), Lester Mason was released from Pontiac Correctional Center on Nov. 25 after spending 39 years in prison for armed robbery, his third such offense. The testing is expected to be in place systemwide by late January. If you are a member of the press, please contact our Director of Communications, Megan Groves, at megan@uplcchicago.org. 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. (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. In emailed responses to Tribune questions, Ryburn said he was not tested after Bourbon died but he did not get sick. The effort includes a proposed class-action lawsuit filed Thursday in federal court, naming Gov. Denice Bronis gets emotional while discussing her fears about her son's health at her home in East Dundee, Dec. 4, 2020. At about 100 pounds and in poor health, 78-year-old Susan Hertzberg hardly poses a threat to public safety, her lawyer said. State Sen. Robert Martwick, D-Chicago, urged his colleagues on the Senate Executive Committee Wednesday to pass the bill so legislators have vehicles for that potential compromise, but warned that he wouldnt let those negotiations stand in the way of the city getting an elected school board. At a Georgia state House of Representatives hearing on prison conditions in September, a corrections officer called in to testify, interrupting his shift to tell lawmakers how dire conditions had become. 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. Did not respond to a challenging public health crisis that has yet to yield resurgence, thats dispute... 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