West Central Reporter

An Illinois Northern District Judge is holding the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) in contempt for not complying with the court’s order to improve the quality of health care for incarcerated people.

“My staff and I have been contacting IDOC on behalf of constituents for some time about medical issue complaints from inmates and their families,” Sen. Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) wrote on Facebook. “This is yet another example of shameful decisions and inactions by state agencies under (Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s) direction that have put Illinoisans at risk.”

Reason magazine reported that IDOC didn’t meet the court’s order asking the agency to heed advice from health experts. Reason said the agency missed cancer symptoms in inmates, provided insufficient dental care, and provided “poor treatment of dementia patients.”

The ACLU reported an evaluation discovered individuals with bed sores “because the staff did not turn them in bed,” staff leaving people wheelchair-bound sitting in their waste, and staff neglecting to feed inmates.

According to the Aug 5 contempt order, Judge Jorge Alonso held the Illinois Department of Corrections in contempt for failing to complete an implementation plan as required by a previous consent decree and failure to comply with court orders. The notice requires the state DOC to: “meet and confer with defendants regarding fees and costs expended in bringing their contempt motion."

The ACLU reported that IDOC agreed to make changes to give prisoners better access to healthcare after reaching a 2016 settlement.

“IDOC clearly wants to continue their misconduct with impunity, hidden behind prison walls," Alan Mills, executive director of Uptown People's Law Center, said in a press release, Reason reported. “Their complete disregard for the health and safety of people in prison should disgust every taxpayer in Illinois. If this was a private nursing home, the way these elders have been treated would trigger a state investigation, and the home would immediately be shut down.”

According to Center Square, the case goes back to 2010, when inmates sued over poor healthcare and prisoners being in unnecessary pain. By 2019, IDOC had not made a comprehensive plan to improve healthcare services. 

And now, a federal court says three years later, the plan still hasn't appeared.

WCIA reported Pritzker said addressing the lack of health care is a collaborative effort, not exclusive to IDOC.   

“Republicans haven’t voted for any of the funding that’s necessary for us to be able to improve the providing of health care within our prison system,” Pritzker said to WCIA. “So they really don’t have a leg to stand on.”

IDOC told Capitol Fax that “the Department has been moving forward with detailed plans to improve healthcare services, completed an implementation plan on time and is working closely with an expert on those plans. The Court hearing was about the procedural disagreements in finalizing the official implementation plan for this year.

“The Court has asked for a document that details the areas of disagreement so that it can rule on those disagreements. The Department has been working through issues with the monitor and that process continues. We expect to have a finalized document very soon.”