10/15/2021; UPDATED: 10/16/2021
McLean County Board stood up loudly against further profiting off of inmates in the local jail.
Inmates are charged 5 cents per minute while using a tablet and 25 cents per email. McLean county would have added an additional 25% commission on tablet revenues on top of the 72% commission they already receive for telephone calls. McLean County is expecting $200,000 this year just from the original contract.
I gave the following public comment:
“Let’s say you have no commissary funds. Every week or two you get what is called an indigent bag: 1 small bar of soap; travel size deodorant; travel toothpaste, small toothbrush; and a small comb. Everyone gets one plastic pillow and a very thin blanket, two in the winter, but they gotta give it back in spring. If you have any funds left on your account, even just $2, you don’t get any indigent bag. Nothing. And if you’re a woman and start your period at the wrong time, by Zeus, you may be stuck there for days bleeding through your clothes.
The point of this system is to reform people. It costs a heck of a lot less to reform someone than endlessly keep people in and out of incarceration. Illinois has 2/3rds recidivism rate and that problem starts at jails the literal entry point to mass incarceration. And when you treat people like animals and don’t treat them with dignity, it makes it impossible to reform them.”
Several members of Black Lives Matter BloNo who signed up to speak were not permitted. The Chair claimed they had not signed up properly despite them having emails stating otherwise.
Multiple board members expressed their disgust at the practice of making money off of incarceration mentioning the black liberation protests last year after the murder of George Floyd. Recently appointed District 4 Board Member Jim Rogal, who previously worked as the legislative liaison for the Illinois Department of Corrections, said the state prison system is already moving away from profiting off of inmates for telecommunication services.
“Basically what we’re doing is taxing the families [of inmates].” Rogal said. “Most of the people, at least in the county jail, aren’t working or bringing in revenue, so these family members are sending money, paying a fee on that, and then for both the calls or the emails, the inmates and families are paying on both ends.”
District 7 Board Member Chung pulled the updated contract from the consent agenda arguing the county take no commission and lower the fees associated with the tablets. “Truthfully, I think that if you’re relying on profiting off those that are incarcerated to meet your bottom line, then perhaps there’s something wrong with the system as a whole.” Chung said.
District 5 Board Member Elizabeth Johnston motioned to table the update to the contract pending renegotiations. The motion passed 12-6, with every Democrat and 3 Republicans (District 1 Catherine Metsker, District 3 Randall Martin, and District 10 Josh Barnett). Chairman McIntyre abstained.
Every board member that spoke explicitly stated they supported inmates having access to tablets. However, in retaliation for not getting his way, Sheriff Jon Sandage petulantly removed inmate access to tablets. This was his choice. The inmates had already been using the tablets for a month without an updated contract so there’s no reason they couldn’t continue to use them during re-negotiations.
According to the jail, family members who want a refund for putting money on an inmate’s tablet tab can call 866-516-0115 and were told to blame the County Board.
Update: McLean County Board Democrats respond to Sheriff’s retaliation.
For Immediate Release, October 15, 2021
Yesterday, the McLean County Board voted 12-6 to table a contract with IC Solutions until it could be renegotiated. We feel that given the 72% the county already makes in commission through inmate phone and video conferencing calls, and given the fact that the 2022 budget has already been drawn up with a projected $200K in revenue from telephone commission, the county does not need to make an extra 25% in commission from tablet usage and fees. We made it very clear last night that we did not want to see the tablets taken away from the inmates, as it is a vital line to the outside world and to their loved ones.
We were very disheartened and shocked today to find out that McLean County Sheriff Jon Sandage has taken away these tablets from the inmates. We were not given an adequate explanation as to why he did this, since nothing really has changed in the past 24 hours, except for the contract being tabled for renegotiation. There is very little chance that McLean County attorneys have convened with ICS attorneys to discuss taking the tablets away in the amount of time since the vote happened. So we can only surmise that he is doing this as retaliation for our vote and that he is playing a political game with the inmates and their hardworking families and loved ones as pawns. The Democrats of the McLean County Board have been working for transparent, fair, and humane practices at the McLean County Detention Facility, and the Sheriff, by taking away these tablets, which are a vital lifeline to the outside world, has purposely cut off the inmates from their loved ones, especially during this difficult time. We ask that Sheriff Sandage return the tablets to the inmates immediately as the contract is being renegotiated. There is no reason for him to be using incarcerated inmates and their families as pawns in this political game of his.
The Democrats of the McLean County Board:
Hannah Beer
Sharon Chung
Lea Cline
Elizabeth Johnston
Val Laymon
Jim Rogal
Shayna Watchinski
Benjamin Webb
Laurie Wollrab
UPDATE: Sheriff Sandage responds to County Board.
According to WEEK:
Sandage told 25 News that it’s ridiculous for the Democrats to politicize this.
The sheriff said inmates were upset when corrections officers took away the tablets Thursday night.
“We’re upset for them,” the sheriff said.
WEEK
