05/27/2022; UPDATED: 04/19/2023

Stats from the McLean County Jail, accurate as of May 19th, 2022:

Jail population: 203

Proportions by gender:
are female: 24
are male: 179

Proportions by race:
Black: 103
Other Minorities: 10
Persons of a Colonial Complexion: 90

Number of people over 50: 18
Number of inmates sentenced: 20
Number of inmates pretrial (felony): 163
Number of inmates pretrial (misdemeanors): 14
Number of Inmates pretrial (other): 6
Number of inmates pretrial for drug offenses: 59
Number of out of county residences: 66

The total number of inmates who have tested positive for COVID-19: 175
The total number of jail staff who have tested positive for COVID-19: 52
The current number of inmates positive for COVID-19: 0
The current number of jail staff positive for COVID-19: 0

Total number of inmates vaccinated for COVID-19 by the jail: 144 total on either 3/24/21, 6/8/21, 9/20/21, 1/19/22, 1/26/22 or 4/19/22.

The number of inmates with COVID-19 that have required respirators in the jail because of COVID-19 symptoms since August 2020: 0

The number of inmates with COVID-19 that have required hospitalization because of COVID-19 symptoms since August 2020: 1

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[Note: These interviews were originally conducted in early April 2022.]

“I’m struggling. I’m really struggling mentally,” said Matt McCuen¹ who is currently incarcerated in the McLean County Detention Facility. “We’re locked up in our cells 18-hours a day. It’s not good on our mental health.”

Mental health care has long been an issue at the McLean County Jail. The County Board famously spent over $43 million to upgrade the jail, ostensibly under the guise of increasing mental health care outcomes.² However, based on lawsuits filed against the Sheriff and the testimony of multiple people currently or formerly incarcerated, mental health does not seem to be a priority at the jail.

Throughout the pandemic, Sheriff Sandage has frequently relied on solitary confinement as a COVID mitigation strategy: anywhere from 18-23 hours a day locked by yourself in your cell. The Sheriff denied these allegations at the April Justice Committee meeting, saying all accusations of solitary confinement in the previous month are false.

“Two months ago[December 2021-February 2022], we were on 23 hour a day,” said another incarcerated person Justin Roof. He was incarcerated in the jail from last November to May of this year. “We’ve been on 18 for about two months. It doesn’t do your brain any good. You’re just locked in here. People in here are really suffering. People are willing to take a plea just to get out of here.”

This means at least some people who are innocent may be taking guilty pleas just to get out of jail whether it means being released back into the public with a criminal record or sent to the Illinois Department of Corrections for a prison sentence.

Roof did eventually take a plea, something he said he was considering during our interview. He was facing several felony charges including domestic battery, aggravated DUI, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of meth. During his interview, he maintained his innocence regarding the domestic battery charge.

Ultimately, that charge was dropped (it likely could not be sustained at court), along with the drug charges. He plead guilty to aggravated DUI and was sentenced to three years in prison. He is no longer in the McLean County Detention Facility. Roof was incarcerated in the MCDF from approximately November 19th, 2021-May 5th, 2022. He was there for approximately 169 days.

I’ve confirmed with at least two additional individuals from inside the jail that for months, solitary confinement of at least 18-hours a day is the norm. However, one source who wished to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation, said these restrictions were lifted for some inmates around May.

Currently, there are only three mental health workers employed at the jail. The jail has an average population of about 200 individuals. Inmate Services Coordinator Jackie Mathias estimated that 30-35% of those incarcerated suffer from a mental/behavioral/developmental disability. If this is true, 65-80 incarcerated people have some sort of non-physical disability. Part of the expansion of the jail includes a special needs pod. The pod only has 15 beds available.

“Mental health workers stop by once or twice a week, but they’re always trying to rush through it so it’s impossible to talk to them,” McCuen said. “There are so many people in here struggling with the same thing, so I kind of understand why they brush me off. I’ve never talked to the psychiatrist.”

“I’ve told them three times that I’m struggling with my mental health,” McCuen continued. “And, I’ve been told by inmate services that ‘It’s jail.’ I think they just brush off our concerns. I really wanted to go to a mental health pod, somewhere different from gen pop cause I was struggling mentally. There are so many people in here struggling with the same thing, so I kind of understand why they brush me off.

“One time I was struggling and asked for assistance. The CO asked if I was suicidal? If you say yes to that, they’re going to put you in a room, with a turtle-suit, and it’s going to be real bad and it’s going to just make your situation worse. So, you have to say, no, I’m not suicidal but I need help. But they just brush it off. I was having a panic attack, and they didn’t take it seriously. Unless you’re suicidal, they don’t care. But, those are different things. I’m mentally struggling, but I’m not trying to kill myself.”

While Roof was incarcerated at the MCDF, he claims his hand became severely mangled on January 18th, 2022. A corrections officers slammed the cell door on Roof’s hand. Roof’s hand was bleeding. Roof says this was an accident, but the officer refused to get Roof any medical assistance. It took several weeks before he received any medical care. By that point, his hand was in constant pain, he could barely write, and it looked visibly disfigured. I spoke with several of Roof’s loved ones, who spoke with Roof using video visitation options. They said it was clear through the screen Roof’s hand was broken. However, they did not wish to be named for fear of retaliation by the Sheriff.

Roof had to be taken to OSF Hospital to get X-Rays performed on his hand. However, when he returned to the jail, the medical staff told Roof his hand wasn’t broken and gave him some free Tylenol (Tylenol is normally only available via the jail’s commissary) and an ice pack. Roof alleges the medical staff refused to show him the X-Rays or allow for a second opinion. Jail medical concluded no further treatment was required.

Roof also alleges that on February 14th, 2022, a third-shift corrections officer grabbed his injured hand, twisted it, and pushed Roof against the wall (Roof did not provide any explanation for why or what provoked the officer to do this). Roof filed grievances against the officer, but all were refused and he claims he was threatened with legal charges if he continued complaining.

There are also multiple lawsuits filed against Sheriff Sandage and the jail for alleged mistreatment.

Corey Eiland, Terrance Groves, Dery McDuffy have all filed lawsuits related to the pernicious use of solitary confinement by Sheriff Sandage. Sandage frequently used solitary confinement as a COVID-19 mitigation strategy: notably from late-November 2020-late March 2021 and again from mid-December 2021-late April 2022. The UN’s Mandela Rules states any solitary confinement over 15 days is torture.

McDuffy’s lawsuit was dismissed as he was requesting a bail reduction which the court did not have the power to grant. He was arrested and incarcerated for the manufacture/delivery of 1-15 grams of cocaine. McDuffy was given a $500,000 bail with a 10% bond meaning he needed $50,000. He was taken into custody on February 25th, 2020, just prior to the pandemic. He was finally able to acquire the bond and was released pending trial over one year later on April 30th, 2021. He spent approximately 429 days in jail for a non-violent, victimless crime. His case appears to be ongoing. He is innocent until proven guilty. During his stay, he experienced at least 4 months of solitary confinement.

Terrance Groves lawsuit was also dismissed via summary judgement.³ Groves was charged with multiple counts⁴ and ultimately plead guilty to one count of Attempted Theft / Deception / Greater Than $10,000 Less Than $100,000. He was sentenced to 8 years of prison. He was in custody pre-trial from approximately 8/15/2020-4/25/2022 or approximately 618 days. His bail was $70,000, of which he needed 10%, or $7,000, to bond out.

There were several problems with Groves lawsuit. He alleged that the jail failed to provide information or protection to COVID-19; he later admitted in a deposition that the jail had provided these. However, what is most pertinent to our purposes is the allegation of solitary confinement. The Sheriff never disputed this fact. The case was dismissed by a judge because he considered solitary confinement in response to the COVID-19 pandemic reasonable. Unfortunately, the standards of incarceration in the United States are so abysmally low compared to other Western countries, that any other lawsuits regarding the Sheriff’s abusive & cruel usage of solitary confinement are likely to be dismissed for the same reasons.

Finally, Eiland’s case was dismissed with prejudice because there was a problem with his address (he was literally located in an IDOC facility where his mail is controlled). Eiland was originally charged with four counts of burglary. He ultimately plead guilty to one count of burglary and was sentenced to nine years. He was incarcerated from approximately August 2020-August 2021. He spent approximately 333 days in McLean County Jail.

Of all the lawsuits currently pending against the Sheriff, the most egregious is by far the case of LaVonte Rayford. It is one of the few cases involving the jail that local mainstream outlets have bothered to cover. The Plaintiff is LaVonte’s mother, Latasha Rayford, filing on behalf of her son. These are the factual allegations in the lawsuit:

LaVonte Rayford has a medical diagnosis of epilepsy. Due to this condition, in June 2019, LaVonte had valid prescriptions for medication for the seizure disorder. LaVonte needed to take his seizure medications twice daily: once in the morning and once in the evening.

On or about June 26, 2019, Plaintiff was taken into custody and booked into the McLean County Jail. Approximately three months prior to June 26, 2019, there was a McLean County Inmate
Social History Report completed for LaVonte by the jail. This report documented that LaVonte
was epileptic and had medical problems.

Upon being booked into the McLean County Jail, Defendant Schroeder confiscated multiple medications from LaVonte and Plaintiff, including LaVonte’s seizure medication.

Plaintiff informed Defendant Schroeder that LaVonte needed to take the seizure medication
twice daily: once in the evening and once in the morning. Plaintiff further told this jail employee
that LaVonte had not yet taken his evening dose of the seizure medication. Upon information and belief, Defendant Schroeder did not contact LaVonte’s physician to verify that LaVonte needed to take his seizure medication. LaVonte was not provided his evening dosage of his seizure medication.

Plaintiff contacted the McLean County Jail on June 27, 2019 and spoke with a currently unknown nurse. Plaintiff informed this nurse that LaVonte needed to take his seizure medication. The nurse informed Plaintiff that there was no verification from any medical professional that LaVonte needed to take seizure medication and, absent that order, LaVonte would not be provided the medication by jail staff.

Plaintiff immediately called the office of LaVonte’s physician and informed them of the situation. At approximately 10:20 AM on June 27, 2019, a member of LaVonte’s physician’s staff contacted the McLean County Jail to ensure LaVonte was being provided his seizure medication. The Jail received a fax from LaVonte’s physician which contained a list of medications prescribed to LaVonte. This fax, which included the doctor’s name, identified the medications and the times LaVonte needed to take each medication. At approximately 10:45 AM on June 27, 2019, jail employees received the prescription and medication orders from LaVonte’s physician.

LaVonte was not provided his seizure medication following the medication orders provided to the Jail at 10:45 AM. LaVonte suffered a seizure at approximately 1:30 PM on June 27, 2019. LaVonte was not taken to the hospital or any other medical facility following this seizure. LaVonte was not provided his seizure medication after this seizure.

LaVonte suffered another seizure at approximately 3:30 PM June 27, 2019. LaVonte was not taken to the hospital or any other medical facility following this seizure. LaVonte was not provided his seizure medication after this seizure. LaVonte suffered another seizure at approximately 3:57 PM June 27, 2019.

This seizure caused LaVonte to fall to the floor and suffer physical injury to his face and head. Only after this seizure was LaVonte taken to a hospital. LaVonte was finally permitted to take his seizure medication after receiving medical treatment at the hospital.

Upon being permitted to take his seizure medication, Jail staff documented two weeks later
that no additional seizures occurred.

LaVonte was originally incarcerated in March 2019, after an incident at Carle BroMenn Medical Center where he allegedly attacked hospital staff. It was later determined the hospital had given him the wrong medication. LaVonte’s lawyers claim he was the victim of involuntary intoxication by the hospital.

Even after a lawsuit, an HRA determination, and who knows how many other complaints, McLean County jail is still incapable of providing appropriate mental health care to its inmates. McCuen continues to be held in 23-hour a day solitary confinement despite restrictions ending for most other inmates. For a nonviolent, victimless crime McCuen has had to endure solitary confinement and medical malpractice from the jail.

These are just some of the incarcerated stories from the McLean County Jail. More to come.

FROM BLONO WITH LOVE

1. William “Matt” McCuen is currently charged with delivery of less than five grams of methamphetamine. His bail is $100,000. He needs $10,000 to bond out. He is innocent till proven guilty in a court of law.
2. CORRECTION: We had originally stated the McLean County Detention Facility expansion cost $44 million. We regret the error.
3. This is where a Judge determines whether the facts of the case up to that point are enough to sustain a trial.
4. Original charges include:  2 counts of Identity Theft; 2 counts of Burglary; 2 counts of Forgery; 2 counts of Fraud ID; Attempted THEFT / DECEPTION / GREATER THAN $10,000 LESS THAN $100,000.