Watchdog report finds COVID-19 safety protocols not enforced at Pulaski County jail
By SARAH MANSUR
Capitol News Illinois
smansur@capitolnewsillinois.com
SPRINGFIELD — An unannounced inspection by federal authorities of the Pulaski County Detention Center found that supervisors were not enforcing COVID-19 safety protocols, such as masking and social distancing requirements, for inmates being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The jail in Pulaski County, which is in the southernmost part of Illinois and borders Kentucky, houses inmates from Pulaski and Alexander counties, as well as individuals who are arrested by ICE and face deportation.
The facility is one of three jails that ICE has contracts with in Illinois. Jails in McHenry and Jefferson counties also house ICE detainees.
As of September 2020, the Pulaski County jail had an average daily population of about 107 inmates, and it housed 113 ICE inmates, as of November 2020.
The inspection, conducted from November 2020 to January 2021, found the facility violated five ICE detention standards “that threatened the health, safety, and rights of detainees,” according to the report issued April 29 from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office of the Inspector General.
According to the report, supervisors at the Pulaski County facility “did not consistently enforce precautions including use of facial coverings and social distancing, which may have contributed to repeated COVID-19 transmissions at the facility.”
As of May 5, the Pulaski facility reported 114 total cases of COVID-19, zero deaths and two active COVID-19 cases, according to data from ICE.
The report provides images from video surveillance footage showing inmates gathered in groups, not wearing masks or practicing social distancing, and detainees and staff in close proximity not wearing or improperly wearing masks.
The investigation also found the facility was not providing a color-coded visual identification system based on the criminal history of detainees that is required by ICE detention standards.
The lack of a color-coded system can result in inadvertent commingling of a detainee with significant criminal history with detainees who had no criminal history, the report states.
The report also documents the facility lacked emergency dental services and that the medical unit did not have procedures in place for chronic care follow-up.
In addition, it found that the facility was not consistently providing required oversight for detainees in segregation by conducting routine wellness checks.
The report further documented deficiencies in staff communication practices with detainees.
“Specifically, ICE did not specify times for staff to visit detainees and could not provide documentation that it completed facility visits with detainees during the pandemic,” the report sates.
In March, the National Immigrant Justice Center raised some of these issues at the Pulaski County facility in a federal civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.
The NIJC’s complaint, which was filed on behalf of three ICE detainees at the Pulaski facility, asks the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties to investigate claims of medical neglect and poor conditions at the facility.
One of the detainees represented by NIJC is a 61-year-old with chronic health conditions, including diabetes and high blood pressure, who was diagnosed with COVID-19. He contracted a bone infection in his leg and will need to have his leg amputated due to the infection.
This 61-year-old inmate said he was afraid to have this procedure done while still in detention because of the poor conditions at the facility.
Representatives from the Pulaski County Detention Center did not respond to requests for comment.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government and distributed to more than 400 newspapers statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
Local News
Willow Springs hires three for police department
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch All three new hires by the Willow Springs Police Department have some experience working in the village. But as of Jan. 27, they are officially members of the police department. The Willow Springs Village Board, at its most recent meeting, hired Andzeliak Bugajski and Anthony Vosicky as part-time officers and…
Argo wrestlers advance to sectionals
Spread the love From staff reports Nine members of the Argo wrestling team qualified for this weekend’s sectional tournament at the IHSA Class 3A regional at Mount Carmel High School last Saturday. Head Wrestling Coach Matthew McMurray said, “It was a great job by all of our wrestlers as they finished in third place. We…
Spartan Educational Foundation presents Rat Pack tribute
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Oak Lawn Community High School’s Spartan Educational Foundation is dedicated to helping students fulfill their dreams. “The Spartan Educational Foundation is continuously looking for opportunities to raise funding to support our student scholarship and staff mini-grant programs,” Michael Riordan, Superintendent at Oak Lawn Community Hight School and Spartan Educational Foundation…
Stickney’s St. Pius X Parish to merge with St. Leonard
Spread the loveBy Bob Bong St. Pius X Parish in Stickney will merge with St. Leonard Parish in Berwyn this summer, Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, announced last month. The merger is part of the archdiocese’s ongoing Renew My Church initiative and will take effect on July 1. The new parish will have one…
La Grange twins are Chick Evans scholars
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch Long hours spent in the La Grange Country Club’s caddie shack – killing time by reading books or playing cards as they wait to be called to duty – have paid off for a brother and sister. Through the past four years, Caroline and Casey Hart honed their skills, learned…
Fun from above
Spread the love While some folks see heavy snowfall and curse the skies, children in Clearing and Garfield Ridge seemed thrilled with last week’s winter windfall. Schools cancelled classes, and kids like Garfield Ridge sisters Makayla, 10, and 6-year-old Mia Hernandez grabbed their plastic sleds and rode ripples of white all afternoon on a large…
Brother Rice’s 11-game win streak ends with loss to Leo
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff writer In seemingly a blink of an eye, Brother Rice picked up as many losses as it had all season. The Crusaders headed into last weekend’s action with a 21-2 record and was 10-0 in the Chicago Catholic League Blue. But Friday night, they suffered a 56-50 setback to…
Area Sports Roundup: Six area girls bowling teams headed to sectionals
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff writer Six area girls bowling teams are headed to sectionals. Reavis and Stagg won IHSA regional titles last Saturday, and four other teams have advanced to this weekend’s action. Reavis won its own regional at Palos Lanes in Palos Hills with a 5,378 in six games, well ahead of…
Marist cheerleaders takes 2nd in state
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff writer After Marist’s cheerleaders watched a video of their state finals performance on Feb. 5, there were some long faces and tears as the girls filed out of the video room and into the cooling-off room. After a long meeting, there were more long faces. “I’ve had better days,”…
Neighbors
Mother Mac unveils new lights and scoreboard
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Across the nation, women’s sports are on the rise in terms of viewership, enthusiasm, sponsorship and excitement. Mother McAuley is no stranger to the impact that women’s athletics has on the development of an individual, strengthening of a team and key skills and attributes developed along the way. South Side…
Cicadas in the park in Palos Park
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Cicadas are coming and the Village of Palos Park is ready. The village hosted its 31st annual Arbor Day Celebration on Sunday, May 5, themed, “The Wonder of Trees” at The Center in the Lodge, 12700 Southwest Highway, with featured speaker, Tricia Bethke of The Morton Arboretum who presented, “Cicadas…
Palos Heights SD 128 sees enrollment boom
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Over the past few years, Palos Heights School District 128 has experienced an explosive growth among incoming students. There has been a significant increase particularly at Indian Hill Early Learning Center, 12800 S. Austin Ave. Chippewa Elementary School, 12425 S. Austin Ave; Navajo Elementary School, 12401 S. Oak Park Ave;…
Comings & Goings: Orange’s Pancake House now open in Palos Heights
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Palos Heights is the home of a popular new breakfast café. Orange’s Pancake House, 11845 Southwest Highway, held a ribbon-cutting event on April 18. Owners, Elvia Briones, of Virgina, and Fernando Cruz, of Evergreen Park, said they were very excited to be in the heart of the Palos Heights community.…
Sisters make Chicago Lawn a world destination
Spread the love. Kathy Headley Your correspondent in Chicago Lawn and Marquette Manor 6610 S. Francisco • (773) 776-7778 . Earlier this month was the Fifth Lithuanian Documentary Film Festival, with distinguished guests from Lithuania and other parts of the United States visiting the neighborhood. They held a photo session in the editorial office of…
Happy Mother’s Day to everyone, everyone
Spread the love. By Mary Stanek Your correspondent in Archer Heights and West Elsdon 3808 W. 57th Place • (773) 517-7796 . Yet another Mother’s Day is upon us. I wish everyone a happy day. By everyone I do mean everyone. There are a lot of dads who do it alone, along with important mother…
Mother’s Day is truly a day to be celebrated
Spread the love. Peggy Zabicki Your correspondent in West Lawn 3633 W. 60th Place • (773) 504-9327 . Mother’s Day happens on Sunday, May 12. If this isn’t something to celebrate, I don’t know what is. Motherhood means new life, new beginnings, new possibilities. Even if you won’t be seeing your mom, you can still…
Saint Xavier men’s volleyball finishes historic season in nation’s top 4
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Saint Xavier men’s volleyball team made history by advancing to the semifinals of the NAIA Men’s Volleyball National Championship. But the Cougars fell to eventual national champion Georgetown (Kentucky), 25-21, 25-23, 22-25, 21-25, 15-10, on May 3 at Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Although there was…