After a deadly second wave of the coronavirus pandemic in Illinois prisons sickened thousands of workers and inmates, the state will begin vaccinating both groups in the coming week a plan that drew praise from advocates but provoked the ire of some lawmakers who argue criminals should not be prioritized. The first doses will be administered at the minimum-security East Moline Correctional .
A transgender inmate convicted of “violent crimes” has reached an undisclosed settlement with the Illinois Department of Corrections in a lawsuit alleging she should have been transferred to a female prison.
District Judge Nancy Rosenstengel entered an order last month stating that the action is settled in its entirety. The parties requested additional time to finalize settlement documents, so she ordered the case to be dismissed with prejudice in 120 days.
The parties first engaged in a settlement conference on Nov. 18 via zoom before Magistrate Judge Mark Beatty. Plaintiff Tay Tay appeared with attorneys Sheila Bedi and Vanessa Del Valle. Attorneys Carla Tolbert and Melissa Jennings appeared on behalf of the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC). The case did not settle at that time and a second settlement conference was ordered.
Senate committee discusses pandemic protocol in Illinois prisons Posted by Editor on December 24, 2020 in Business | Comments Off on Senate committee discusses pandemic protocol in Illinois prisons
Testifying before the Senate State Government Committee Friday, Illinois Dept. of Corrections Director Rob Jeffreys said the state’s prison system is working closely with state public health authorities to respond to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. State Senator Pat McGuire, Vice-Chair of the committee, led the hearing Friday and asked IDOC personnel about the department’s progress in processing prisoners for intake and release more efficiently, COVID-19 protocols, and efforts to adapt the prison system’s education programs to the realities of the pandemic. “We learned at today’s hearing of steps DOC has taken to spend tax dollars more wisely, to ensure educational programs continue in our prisons during the pandemic, and to protect staf
More than two years is a long time to wait for authorities to decide whether to charge a former Springfield man in the alleged strangulation death of a prison cellmate, the attorney for the dead man’s family says.
Chicago lawyer David Lipschultz said he hasn’t received answers from Rob Jeffreys, acting director of the Illinois Department of Corrections, or David Searby Jr., state’s attorney for Perry County.
Lipschultz, who represents the family of Earl Little, formerly of Rushville and Quincy, sent a letter Nov. 18 to Jeffreys and Searby asking why former Springfield resident Daniel Mueller, 33, hasn’t been charged with any crimes in connection with Little’s death.
More than two years is a long time to wait for authorities to decide whether to charge a former Springfield man in the alleged strangulation death of a prison cellmate, the attorney for the dead man’s family says.
Chicago lawyer David Lipschultz said he hasn’t received answers from Rob Jeffreys, acting director of the Illinois Department of Corrections, or David Searby Jr., state’s attorney for Perry County.
Lipschultz, who represents the family of Earl Little, formerly of Rushville and Quincy, sent a letter Nov. 18 to Jeffreys and Searby asking why former Springfield resident Daniel Mueller, 33, hasn’t been charged with any crimes in connection with Little’s death.