Waynesville Mail

IDOC Pauses County Intakes

The Illinois Department of Corrections announced Tuesday that it would pause intake of inmates from county jails amid the COVID-19 surge.

As of Friday, IDOC reported 1,042 staff members and 1,684 inmates were positive for COVID-19.

Sheriffs who are charged with operating county jails around the state say IDOC’s decision puts more stain on county resources and personnel.

“Unfortunately, IDOC did not provide any communication or collaboration with the Illinois Sheriffs’ Association or any Sheriff regarding this suspension of intake although we have repeatedly offered a willingness to discuss issues with the Department,” Jim Kaitschuk, executive director of the Illinois Sheriffs’ Association, said in a written statement. “As people are aware, crime is continuing to occur and arrests continue to be made by law enforcement as we work to combat crime in our communities,”

In March 2020, the Sheriffs’ Association filed suit against IDOC. An appellate court found in August 2020 that that the governor has authority to “control… the movement of persons” within a disaster area as designated through the governor’s disaster proclamation. It also noted the sheriffs did not argue against Pritzker’s authority to extend a disaster proclamation multiple times.

Gov. JB Pritzker issued a new executive order resuming the transfer of inmates to DOC in August 2020, but stated, “the scheduling of the arrival of individuals from county jails and the intake process to ensure the health and safety of the transferring individuals, as well as all individuals and staff at IDOC, shall be within the sole discretion of the Director of IDOC.”

IDOC resumed county jail intakes on Aug. 3, 2020, with aggressive guidelines in place to protect the health and safety of staff, the incarcerated population, and the surrounding community, said IDOC spokesperson Lindsey Hess. Since that date, IDOC has processed 14,890 new admissions and 2,263 turnarounds for a total of 17,153 intakes.

“The Department’s reception centers are at capacity with no space for new admissions,” Hess said. “The classification process is continuing. When the individuals at our reception centers are no longer in quarantine or isolation, they will immediately be transferred to their facility which will open space for intakes.”