Illinois prison detainee transfer problems persist, sheriffs group says

[June 26, 2021]  By Greg Bishop

(The Center Square) – Sheriffs across Illinois are still having issues transferring convicted criminals from county jails to state prisons, despite decreased prison population and the state’s COVID-19 capacity limits being lifted.

The governor’s executive order on transfers he extended last month expires Saturday.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, sheriffs haven’t been able to transfer inmates to state prisons as they typically could. Despite a lawsuit, the state has begun to transfer some inmates.

But Illinois Sheriffs’ Association Executive Director Jim Kaitschuk said it’s not full steam, and it makes no sense.

“It dosn’t take a logistics magician to figure out how to accommodate the measly, let’s say, 2,000 people that are in Illinois jail custody that should be in [Illinois Department of Corrections] when you have a hole of 20,000 people,” Kaitschuk said.

The state’s prison population in March decreased more than 18,000 since 2015. In the past year, it’s decreased by nearly 10,000.

As for COVID-19 cases, Kaitschuk said rates are lower than a year ago. The Illinois Department of Corrections website shows 3 inmates and 26 staff with COVID-19 statewide.

“Yet even with the move to phase 5 and the fact that the entire basis for Order 2020-50 has essentially ended, IDOC continues [and in fact, its worsened] to refuse transfer of persons sentenced to their custody,” Kaitchuck wrote earlier this month in a letter to IDOC. “County jails continue to be beholden to an unknown schedule of transfers, unknown criteria for which transfers are allowed for, no reimbursement established for the inmates that the counties have already dropped on them and no consistent dialogue or explanation as to when this will be changed. This is so even though what was unsafe in July of 2020 is no longer an issue.”

The Illinois Department of Corrections said it is "committed to safely admitting as many men and women from the counties as possible."

"Intakes are scheduled based on space availability, quarantine requirements and COVID-19 test results," said IDOC spokesperson Lindsey Hess. "We have been accepting transfers from county jails since August 3, 2020 and have processed 8,203 new admissions and 1,235 turnarounds to date."

There’s a cost to counties having to house inmates that are meant for the state. Kaitschuk wrote IDOC in late April saying sheriffs need $55 a day per individual for expenses and an additional $15 a day per individual for medical costs. That was in response to what Kaitschuk said was the state’s offer of a flat $35 a day per individual.

"IDOC has received an appropriation to compensate counties; the Department has had preliminary discussions with the Illinois Sheriffs’ Association regarding a universal rate that is fair and within the resources provided," Hess said.

Despite expected funds for COVID relief being available, Kaitschuk said it's not fair to county sheriffs.

“Yeah some of that money may be available but it is not the responsibility of the sheriffs to have to continue to take and maintain prisoners that should be the rightful responsibility of the Department of Corrections,” Kaitschuk said.

The state’s continued delays in transferring detainees isn’t fair for the inmates either, he said.

“As soon as the inmates start to better understand ‘hey, I’m not getting good time credit here, I’m not getting these things, I’m going to have to spend a year more in jail, or whatever it is,’ as a result of them not transferring,” Kaitschuk said.