County Jail at Critical Mass

By Sean Stillmaker in News on Sep 25, 2010 3:00PM

Cook County commissioners made a dramatic u-turn at their last meeting -- the forthcoming regime change led them to discuss containing costs.

Cook County jail costs was one item discussed. An estimated $117.30 of taxpayer funds is spent per detainee per day in Cook County facilities. There are 102 counties in Illinois, and Cook County has the largest daily jail population in the state and the third largest in the U.S., trailing only L.A. and New York.

The inmate population is reaching critical mass. There are 9,548 inmates and capacity at Cook County jail is 9,838. The most common crime arrest category amongst inmates is drug related violations. National arrests in 2009 for drug abuse violations comprised 13 percent of total arrests (estimated at 1.6 milliion), according to an F.B.I. report. The most common offense was possession of marijuana.

Drug arrests have sharply increased over the last 20 years. In 1987 drug arrests only accounted for 7.4 percent. Commissioner Tony Peraica stated his concern of the high costs of prosecuting and detaining drug abusers.

In 2008 federal, state and local governments spent nearly $75 billion on corrections, according to the center for economic and policy research study. Even though violent crime and property crimes have severely decreased in the U.S., the incarceration rate dramatically increased over 350 percent. Nearly 25 percent of all offenders behind bars are non-violent drug offenders. The incarceration increase is attributed to stricter sentencing policies for drug related offenses, instead of rising crime.

Commissioner Gainer then asked if offending jail employees have been disciplined. The Sheriff’s representative gave no clear answer. In 2008 the U.S. Justice Department completed an investigation of the Cook County jail.

The report found numerous violations including excessive use of force. In one instance a mentally ill inmate was restrained with handcuffs and beaten. The inmate was transported to an outside hospital for severe head trauma.

In related news the oldest inmate entered the Illinois prison system this month. George Todd, 85, from Barrington, is on a 7-year bit for sexual assault of a minor.