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* The problems at Cook County’s jail are never-ending, and appear to be getting worse. One reason is the huge influx of the mentally ill, which now account for more than 20 percent of the jail’s inmate population. And a big reason behind that population surge is state budget cuts to mental health budgets. Tribune…
After dipping to 8,900 in 2011, the average annual jail population — primarily inmates awaiting trial — has been on the rise, with the daily count now frequently more than 10,000, the highest totals since a day in 2007. […]
While the jail is overcrowded, detainees no longer sleep on mattresses on the floor, as they did during some other episodes of overcrowding, and the sheriff, whose operation of the jail is monitored by a federal judge, no longer assigns inmates to sleep on bunks in shifts.
The exception is at Cermak Health Services, the county-run hospital on the jail grounds where acutely mentally ill inmates are treated and patients sometimes sleep on mattresses the floor, according to the sheriff’s office. […]
More than 2,000 mentally ill detainees are being held at the jail, and many of them have medical issues as well, said Superintendent Robert Lyles, who runs Division 2, the jail’s largest unit. “When the state hospital and private (mental health) facilities were shut down, it seemed like the jail had to adapt,” he said. “It’s a challenge every day.”
Some mentally ill inmates are kept longer than necessary because no beds are available in state treatment centers when a judge finds them unfit to stand trial, public defenders and others involved in the cases said. Although Gov. Pat Quinn has pledged to boost spending on mental health services next year by $25 million, [Sheriff Tom Dart] and other officials are skeptical.
posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Sep 13, 13 @ 9:32 am
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Budget cuts are part of the problem, particularly with the mentally ill, but the biggest factor in overcrowding is an underperforming and entirely unaccountable judiciary. It’s Friday, late summer…by noon there will be more Cook County judges on the first tee of area golf courses than there will be in courthouses.
Comment by Frank Friday, Sep 13, 13 @ 9:40 am
Before I left graduate school to make a living in computing, I had experience working with people with mental illness. It is a problem coming up with the money for treatment. Many insurance plans provide a pittance and governments don’t spend much on them because the mentally ill aren’t exactly an energized voting block with clout. I still think that a society should be judged by how it deals with those most helpless. By that token, we are wanting.
Comment by David P. Graf Friday, Sep 13, 13 @ 9:43 am
Affordable Care Act covers mental health services as part of health insurance. ACA will provide mental health services through an expansion of Medicaid for a population (single, low income individuals) that previously were not able to access health or mental health services. This will have a huge positive impact for much less money than the status quo.
Comment by Newman Friday, Sep 13, 13 @ 9:50 am
Not enough information in the article about the offenses for which people came into the system. Cost of incarceration is a constant refrain when the cost to victims should be discussed. back in the 80s, the justice system of Minnesota tied length of sentence to space in prison. Justice should not depend on space.
Comment by Amalia Friday, Sep 13, 13 @ 9:53 am
Frank, people do seem to sit at 26th and Cal a long time awaiting trial.
Comment by wordslinger Friday, Sep 13, 13 @ 9:59 am
Newman,
while not a huge fan of the ACA I hope your right that it will improve the availability of mental health care. The police and jails don’t have the training, time or temperament to handle the amount of people with mental health issues forced out on to the streets.
Comment by Fed up Friday, Sep 13, 13 @ 10:03 am
Rich, the budget cuts are only a fraction of the reason for the overcrowding problems that we have at the jail. Approximately 90% of the jail population is awaiting trial - this is the direct result of a flawed bond court system in Cook County, one which is driven by an ability to pay rather than whether the defendant is a flight risk or risk to society.
As a result, one often sees poor, non-violent offenders spending months in jail awaiting trial, while about 40% of individuals charged with an Unlawful Use of a Weapon bonding out because they have access to (often illicit) cash.
This situation is made more troubling by the fact that almost any other option (job training, day reporting, counseling, electronic monitoring, etc) is cheaper than housing these individuals at 26th+Cal).
In fact, at yesterday’s Board meeting, the Sheriff was granted approval to move about $1.4 million in his budget to allow for payment to house inmates at other facilities.
Simply throwing more money into the current system will only only it to get worse, ultimately leading to the need to build a new jail - at a staggering cost.
Our current system doesn’t need dollars, it needs reform.
Until we fundamentally reform our system, the only
Comment by Hon. John Fritchey Friday, Sep 13, 13 @ 10:04 am
Sorry for the typos, in a hurry to get someplace but wanted to share my thoughts on this important issue.
Comment by Hon. John Fritchey Friday, Sep 13, 13 @ 10:07 am
Word,
Many times the people at 26/cal sitting are there because they are delaying trial. If they want a speedy trial they are entitled to one. I’ve been in the courtroom when a judge released a man from custody because the prosecution went over term without agreement from the defendant. Many times the defendant chooses to delay trial for tactical reasons.
Comment by Fed up Friday, Sep 13, 13 @ 10:07 am
Thanks Commissioner Fritchey for explaining the real problem instead of just blaming the state.
Comment by Small Town Liberal Friday, Sep 13, 13 @ 10:22 am
“Frank, people do seem to sit at 26th and Cal a long time awaiting trial.”
Word-
This problem is already addressed in the Criminal Code. Defendants have an absolute right to a speedy trial… 120 days if in custody. This is rarely used. Very few defense attorneys file trial demands. There are several reasons for this. That’s not to say that judges or prosecutors aren’t guilty of dragging their feet on occasion, but the observers rarely comment on the dirth of speedy trial demands.
Comment by Lobo Y Olla Friday, Sep 13, 13 @ 10:25 am
John Fritchey: Thanks for your continuing comments.
It is a disgrace that the largest mental health facility in the state in our County Jail.
As to trial delays, my (limited) impression is that they are driven by many attorneys and judges almost entirely for reasons external to the case, with defendants passively accepting “whatever”, so as not to anger those in charge of the process. And as you say, the bonding practices are ridiculous.
Comment by walkinfool Friday, Sep 13, 13 @ 10:29 am
Fed up is right. Some inmates do delay their own trial. They would rather run the clock in county — and collect 2 for 1 “time served” credit — than get sentenced to a prison downstate where detention is more restrictive. This is why I posted earlier that the judges are to blame. They could speed cases by not allowing repeated continuences.
Commissioner Fritchey is correct as well. A lot of inmates come in on drug possession charges and stay at the jail because they can’t make bail. Frequently, their cases get dropped weeks later or they’ll plead guilty after a few month and get sentenced to “time considered served.” These inmates, for the most part, should be released shortly after arrest on bail or electronic monitoring, but bond court judges are afraid of making mistakes and releasing an inmate who might commit a a high-profile crime that puts their name in the newspaper as the judge who let the bad guy go.
Like I said, the judges deserve most of the blame.
Comment by Frank Friday, Sep 13, 13 @ 10:49 am
As the article makes clear, there is blame for Mayor Emanuel as well: The “surging mentally ill population [is] fueled in part by the closing last year of six Chicago mental health clinics and the Tinley Park Mental Health Center.”
Tragically, what’s happening is exactly what mental health advocates predicted:
http://www.keepchicagoworking.org/news/mental-health-consumers-fight-to-save-clinics
Comment by Reality Check Friday, Sep 13, 13 @ 11:03 am
Some individuals testified to this exact point during the COGFA hearings on mental health facility closures proposed by the governor.
Others expressed concern over the rushed and insufficient patient “transition plans” supposedly being prepared by an outside consultant.
None of those things mattered. Quinn charged ahead without vision or comprehensive planning.
And this is what Illinois gets as a result. It’s terrible.
Comment by Formerly Known As... Friday, Sep 13, 13 @ 1:21 pm
@Reality Check - IIRC, those six locations represented roughly half of the facilities in Chicago.
To be fair, Tinley was Quinn’s call, not Rahm’s.
It is hard for many citizens, however, to rectify spending millions of dollars on special bike lanes and bike sharing programs at a time when mental health facilities are being closed, regardless of the funding source.
Combine that with the image of Chicago’s Mayor being all-powerful?
That sends a dangerous message: Chicago, or at least the mayor, believes bikes are more important than our poor or mentally ill.
Comment by Formerly Known As... Friday, Sep 13, 13 @ 1:27 pm
Another sad, and outrageous consequence of the “starve-the-beast” policy that is so aggressively pursued by the CC gang.
It’s always the least powerful that suffer the most, and a good reason why government should work harder to protect those who are unable to fend for themselves due to illness.
Comment by cod Friday, Sep 13, 13 @ 1:53 pm
To Fritchey’s point, a report I recently read pointed out that 75% of the women incarcerated by Dart are there for prostitution.
If that is true, it is a crazy use of taxpayer dollars.
Comment by Juvenal Friday, Sep 13, 13 @ 2:36 pm
“To Fritchey’s point, a report I recently read pointed out that 75% of the women incarcerated by Dart are there for prostitution.
If that is true, it is a crazy use of taxpayer dollars. ”
See SB 1872.
Comment by L Y O Friday, Sep 13, 13 @ 3:36 pm