(Chicago, IL) — The Unites States Attorney today released a report describing violence and injuries to inmates, confrontations with correction officers, and inadequate medical and mental health care at the Cook County Jail.
Speaking before a press conference, U. S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald attributed many of the problems and the violence to overcrowding and inadequate staffing at the Jail. Both longstanding problems have been frequently highlighted by the John Howard Association of Illinois, the federal court appointed monitor in a long running civil rights case brought on behalf of jail inmates.
Other issues cited by the U. S. Attorney include: a lack of medical care and mental health services sufficient for the population and safety and sanitation violations, also longstanding problems documented by the John Howard Association.
As the U. S. Attorney notes, medical and mental health services at the jail are the primary responsibility of County government and not fully subject to the Sheriff’s control. In the last 18-months both have been subject to budget-related cutbacks and staffing changes which were vigorously criticized by the John Howard Association.
The jail population is influenced by policing and prosecutorial practices and by the decisions of judges who set the bonds and conditions of release for most persons who are arrested. The John Howard Association has reported critically on the quality of the decision-making process in bond courts after a visit to that court.
The John Howard Association of Illinois will submit its annual report on the Cook County Jail to the federal court next week. That report will be posted on this site once filed with the court.
Filed under: 1 | Tagged: Cook County Jail, Cook County Jail violence, Patrick Fitzgerald
