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An apparent success story at Cook County Jail

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Illinois

* The jail was at one point among the largest outbreaks in the country…

Through the use of “aggressive intervention strategies” and widespread testing, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office was able to successfully mitigate the spread of COVID-19 inside the Cook County Jail, according to a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Penned by members of the CDC as well as medical officials from Cook County Health, the Chicago Department of Public Health and the Sheriff’s Office itself, the report found that jail staff were able to limit the spread of the coronavirus through physical distancing, limiting movement and expanded testing.

“Early in the outbreak, increases in cases among staff and detained persons paralleled that in Chicago, Illinois,” the report states. “After implementation of interventions, cases declined in detained persons and staff, even as cases increased dramatically in Chicago.”

Within two months of the first confirmed COVID-19 case at the jail in March, nearly 1,000 detainees and jail staffers had been infected with the disease, and seven detainees, three correctional officers and one court deputy died after testing positive.

The study is here.

* Tribune…

The paper has not yet undergone peer review, and its authors include medical experts from the jail’s health center and the sheriff’s office, along with the CDC and the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Even to an outsider’s eye, however, the drop in COVID-19 cases at the jail is significant. In March and April, the jail counted more than 900 cases among detainees and staffers. Seven detainees died at local hospitals after testing positive.

But as of Tuesday, only 11 detainees out of about 4,800 are positive, Dart said, and eight of them entered the jail with the virus.

“We’re testing at the door now,” he said. “You could literally say being in the jail is one of the safest places to be right now.”

* WGN TV…

Nonviolent offenders were released from the jail early on in the outbreak to reduce its population, with some put on electronic monitoring. Governor JB Pritzker also signed an executive order to stop new inmates from being admitted to state prisons during the pandemic, with only a few exceptions.

Officials also implemented measures including moving inmates to single-person cells, and halting visitation and programming.

“Inmates are tested in intake while in separate housing and not allowed into the general population until a second test,” said Connie Minella, Chair of Correctional Health. “This has proven to be an important part of our containment; no other jail is doing this type of testing.”

The CDC says this plan should serve as a model to jails, prison, nursing homes and other congregate settings. Cook County Jail officials say they can’t let their guard down yet.

* Patch…

And Dart criticized the county’s court system, which has left some pretrial detainees jailed for up to 11 years as they await a trial date.

“You cannot have these cases lingering for a decade waiting for trial,” he said. “We can’t have that happening.”

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Jul 15, 20 @ 4:35 pm

Comments

Absolutely no one sits in jail for 11 years awaiting trial unless they want to. Everyone has a right to a speedy trial although that has been extended by the virus. all they have to do is demand a speedy trial and they will get one. Delay is often times the best defense. Perhaps the prosecution should have a right to a speedy trial demand.

Comment by DuPage Saint Wednesday, Jul 15, 20 @ 5:05 pm
DuPage Saint, the DuPage jail has a number of long term residents as well. It is common in many jails for lots of reasons, not just inmate delays. This is a link to and article that includes some of those reasons. https://www.typeinvestigations.org/investigation/2016/11/16/incarcerated-years-without-trial/

Comment by Illinifan Wednesday, Jul 15, 20 @ 5:28 pm
Dart caught a ton of flak early on including a ridiculous New York times story. Glad he was vindicated.

Comment by 19th Ward Guy Wednesday, Jul 15, 20 @ 5:53 pm
@DuPage Saint:

See https://courts.illinois.gov/SupremeCourt/Announce/2020/040720-1.pdf

Comment by JoanP Wednesday, Jul 15, 20 @ 6:34 pm
In announcing that schools would be remote this year, the Superintendent of the LA school district said that it is imperative that school districts have their own capacity for testing and tracing if they are to reopen safely.

It would cost on average about $300 per kid, according to the Supe.

Seems well worth it to me, to preserve the thousands of dollars we invest in education.

Our schools ought to be atleast as safe as the Cook County Jail.

Of course, you’d have to have school nurses, but we definitely need that regardless.

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Thursday, Jul 16, 20 @ 8:11 am
=== “Dart criticizes the county’s court system” ===

[Narrator: Dart opposes bond reform to reduce the jail population.]

https://chicagobond.org/2019/02/12/facts-contradict-sheriff-darts-fear-mongering-about-bond-reform-cook-county-is-leading-in-pretrial-justice-reforms/

Comment by Thomas Paine Thursday, Jul 16, 20 @ 8:45 am