County jail inmates across the region are suffering from preventable circumstances due to a lack of uniform health care standards and resources. Several have died before ever even stepping foot into a courtroom for their alleged crimes.
An investigation by Lee Enterprises’ Public Service Journalism Team and The Pantagraph found dozens of cases of inmate neglect, ranging from being denied prescribed medications for underlying conditions to dying due to untreated withdrawal symptoms.
Law enforcement and jail officials say they struggle to keep up with the demand of complex medical situations presented by an inherently difficult population to look after. They have to fill a substantial gap in services and end up having to find solutions for care jails were not meant to provide.
No standard delivery system of healthcare
People are also reading…
Unlike prisons, which are primarily under the authority of the Illinois Department of Corrections, Illinois jails are overseen by county governments, specifically sheriff’s offices. With varying populations, budgets, staffing levels and community resources from county to county, it’s difficult to deliver universal health care reform that would effectively benefit Illinois jails.
Most Illinois jails contract with private health care providers to compensate for dwindling resources and high rates of staff turnover. While the approach is cost-effective since third-party employees wouldn’t be entitled to a county-funded pension, it comes with a slew of other problems.
Providers must model their contracts based on size, budget and other parameters of the county and correctional facility. Even if the same provider covers adjacent counties, contracts could stipulate different staffing levels or elective care.
Jails compensate for a diminishing social safety net
The lack of rehabilitation centers and education on opioid and drug addiction are contributing to the problem. Many sheriffs and law enforcement officials interviewed for this series referred to jails as a revolving door of people with some of the most difficult to treat drug addictions and mental health concerns.
Local and state representatives say there needs to be more funding for programs that would help provide resources to those suffering from addiction and serious mental health concerns. President Donald Trump’s administration announced in March plans to pull back $477 million from Illinois that was to be used to both prevent infectious disease and treat mental health and substance abuse issues.
Struggle to train and staff for an inherently difficult population to care for
As the country deals with a severe nursing shortage, jails are forced to compete for medical staff against hospitals, private practitioners and other higher-paying employers.
Although state and federal incentive programs do exist to place nurses in underserved areas or facilities, jails are often excluded from lists of eligible employers. Some officials are skeptical that the use of incentives can retain staff long-term.
‘Unfit’ inmates have nowhere to go
Because of an insufficient number of beds at state-operated mental health facilities, many detainees deemed unfit to stand trial or not guilty by reason of insanity wait far beyond the 60-day statutory deadline to be transferred to a proper facility for treatment.
Most jails were not designed to provide long-term restorative care to these inmate populations. And without proper resources, inmates’ mental health can deteriorate to a point worse than when they were first booked. Some reform advocates have likened the situation to “warehousing” the most vulnerable inmate populations.
The full scope of the problem is unknown
There are not many studies, if any, that address jail deaths in the same way prison deaths are investigated.
Although county jails are subject to an annual inspection by criminal justice specialists employed by IDOC, advocates say facilities are judged more on whether they have health care policies in place than whether they are properly enforced.
Jails are regulated by IDOC, which conducts annual inspections based off of a lengthy checklist of items. However, there are very few standards that cover issues sheriffs, law enforcement officials, reform advocates, inmates and their families highlight throughout this series.
Lake Mead's drops raise prospect of unaffordable Hoover Dam electricity
