US Attorney, DOJ Blast Conditions at Cook County Jail in Chicago
Conditions at a Chicago jail run by Cook County are so substandard that prisoners are at risk of physical abuse and even death, a federal prosecutor and the Department of Justice say in a report released yesterday.
Long criticized as overcrowded and understaffed, the huge facility is also characterized by the use of excessive force against inmates by jail staff, including beatings that have caused serious injuries and, in at least one case, left the inmate on a respirator, according to the report. Substandard medical care, in violation of inmates’ constitutional rights, is also a serious problem, the report says, and some inmates have died needlessly as a result, writes the Chicago Tribune.
Sheriff Tom Dart, who is in charge of the jail’s operations, under the authority of the Cook County Board, said he cooperated completely with the report, hoping for helpful suggestions, and now feels betrayed. He says significant reforms have been achieved that are not mentioned, citing a 22 percent reduction in the use of force this year and his appointment of panel of prosecutors to revamp the internal affairs review process. Thus, he characterizes as “completely inaccurate and horribly unprofessional” what he terms the report’s implication that jail staff doesn’t care or doesn’t know about problems there.
At a news conference, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald called upon Dart and the board to fix the “woefully inadequate” jail, and the DOJ has threatened legal action if steps aren’t taken to meet constitutional requirements.
