10/27/2021
Part 10
Stats from the McLean County Jail, accurate as of the October 13th, 2021:
Jail population: 209
Proportions by gender:
17 (8.1%) are female
192 (91.9%) are male
Proportions by race:
111 (53.1%) Black
5 (2.4%) Hispanic
92 (44%) Persons of a Colonial Complexion
Number of people over 50: 24
Number of inmates sentenced: 25 (12%)
Number of inmates pretrial (felony): 171 (81.8%)
Number of inmates pretrial (property felony): 41 (19.6%)
Number of inmates pretrial (misdemeanors): 8 (3.8%)
Number of inmates pretrial for drug offenses: 50 (23.9%)
Number of out of county residences: 71 (33.3%)
The total number of inmates who have tested positive for COVID-19: 8
The total number of jail staff who have tested positive for COVID-19: 21
The current number of inmates positive for COVID-19: 0
The current number of jail staff positive for COVID-19: 1
Total number of inmates vaccinated for COVID-19 by the jail: 118
Total number of jail staff vaccinated for COVID-19: No records are being kept
The number of current inmates that have been fully vaccinated whether in the jail or on their own: No records are being kept
On Luxuries
Sheriff Sandage continues to choose to withhold tablet access to inmates in retaliation for the McLean County Board’s vote to table a contract update with Inmate Communications Solutions (ICS). The board members all said they supported inmates having tablets, but did not want to receive an estimated 25% commission off of the contract update. The money comes from the inmate’s family members. Since on average 90% of inmates are pre-trial and can’t afford their bail, the fees for these services is often another tax on the working class.
According to records from the Sheriff’s office, the tablet revenue for September was $13,429.05, and the commission check to the county is $3,357.26.
The sheriff claims he didn’t feel comfortable with inmates having access to the tablets because there was uncertainty around the contract. The contract update was retroactive to October of 2020, meaning the sheriff was perfectly comfortable with its implementation for a year without any contract or vote by the county board. Meanwhile, reports from inside the jail are that inmates are receiving county board member’s personal contact information so they know who to contact if they want the tablets back.
District 10 County Board member Chuck Erickson, who chairs the Justice Committee which oversees the jail, defended the Sheriff’s actions in an interview with Cities 92.9.
“We are trying to rehabilitate them and make them feel like they can move onto another path in life,” said Erickson. “They already had free access. Free access is provided to the law library, religious apps, Bible Gateway, religious library and some books. They have free access to that. What they were going to have to pay for is other stuff like tablet entertainment.”
“No one is stopping them for doing anything,” said Erickson. “The McLean County sheriff has control over the jail. He wanted to basically let the inmates have the tablets with free educational programs. Basically he was saying if you want pay per view entertainment you have to pay for that. The Democrats objected to that on the grounds that the county should pay for that itself. Not one Democrat objected on the grounds of the price being too high.”
“We got a brand new jail done there,” said Erickson. “We put $5 million into that jail every year to make it run right. We have a jail that takes care of the mentally ill. The Democrats think that that’s not enough to spend on it. Now we need to make sure the prisoners get everything free, now we should pay for their movies.”
“If they really want to a Sheriff’s candidate who’s campaign theme is more free internet for inmates,” said Erickson. “I want to see them do it. Sometimes I think we need to have these fights and settle the issue.”
County Board Member Chuck Erickson Cities 92.9 interview
Besides the statements regarding free content on the tablets, the price tag of the jail annually, and that inmates are supposed to be rehabilitated everything Erickson said is completely false.
The county board members that voted to renegotiate the contract did so based on the commission received from the service. Regardless of whether the county receives the commission or not, inmates still have to pay for streaming services & emails.1 The tablets and their installation is covered by ICS; the county isn’t paying for it. If inmates had access to the tablets right now, they would still be generating profit for ICS.2
Sandage appears to be making this decision out of petulance that anyone would dare disagree with him. “That’s not up to the Democrats. That’s not up to the Republicans. That’s up to me that has operational control of the jail,” said Sandage to WGLT. He continued, “We’re trying to help everybody. Nobody has to use them, and we have a lot of free content that’s going to be available on them. They think the inmates should have it for free. And that’s not up to me, that’s up to the county board. But you know what? It’s a luxury. Everybody pays for luxuries.”
The Sheriff’s insists this an issue of luxury.
He repeated the luxury line in an email to District 3 County Board Member Randall Martin. Martin was one of the few Republicans that voted to table the contract update. He says he did so because he wanted the commission raised.
This is the same argument Sandage made last year when activists begged the Sheriff to allow free communication services during the pandemic (ICS publically stated they were willing to offer free services because of the pandemic). “The video visitation system is a luxury,” Sandage retorted indignantly with a subtle snort. “There is nothing in the Illinois Jail Standards that you have to have video visitation. All inmates are technically allowed is one 5 minute phone call a week. We’ve far exceeded that. Video visitation is a luxury not a necessity.”3
Because the sheriff is doing slightly more than the absolute bare minimum, the sheriff seems to think everyone should be incredibly grateful for his unending magnanimity. Just because state law allows inhumane circumstances to fester in county jails doesn’t make it right, just, and most importantly, conducive of rehabilitation. Part of the reason Illinois has a 2/3rds recidivism rate is because the minimum standards are so low.
Let’s not forget that Sheriff Sandage’s luxurious jail includes solitary confinement, inmates having to clean their clothes in their jail sink or toilet, and sometimes women don’t get access to sanitary supplies menstruating through their jail suit. This is the same jail that violated Lavonte Rayford’s rights “after medical staff failed to give him medication needed for his epilepsy, according to a substantiated complaint filed with the Regional Human Rights Authority (HRA) of the Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission.” He suffered multiple seizures because the jail didn’t give him the medication he needs three times a day.
When Board member Erickson says, “We have a jail that takes care of the mentally ill,” what he doesn’t realize is the jail incarcerates people with mental health needs by criminalizing them. It then takes those mentally ill inmates and profits off of them.
The next McLean County Justice Committee meeting is Tuesday, November 2nd, 2021.
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