CHICAGO
--
Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart on Thursday blasted a federal report criticizing conditions at the Cook County Jail.
In a 98-page letter to County Board President Todd Stroger and Sheriff Tom Dart, Fitzgerald said the Justice Department investigation found evidence of overcrowding, inadequate medical care and organized beatings of inmates.
The report also alleged that Cook County Jail has systematically violated inmates' constitutional rights, inappropriately used excessive force and failed to provide adequate suicide prevention and medical care, according to findings announced by U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald Thursday morning. Dart admitted there are problems at the aging facility, NBC5's Charlie Wojciechowski reported on Thursday, but said great progress has been made since he took office.
"In the report, they then choose to ignore all the progress that we've made in the last 18 months since I've been in office," Dart said. "We feel very much that this has not been done in a very balanced way, and we're just very disappointed."
Both Dart and Fitzgerald admitted progress could be made more quickly if more money were available.
"Believe me, I wouldn't want to be sitting in the shoes of the people who have to fix this," Fitzgerald said. "They want remedies, but they also want money." "Most of those suggestions we've already done," Dart said. "Other ones, we're in the process of working on, and there are other ones, that, frankly -- there are things that we need to do better."
Although federal law allows the Justice Department to file a lawsuit against the county in this case, it has not done so, Wojciechowski reported. Fitzgerald said it was his hope that the federal government and the county could work together to bring the county jail and Cermak Hospital, which is also run by the county, up to the standards required by the constitution.
Dart said many of the changes have been made, while others are a work in progress. In a news conference Thursday, Fitzgerald said the conditions at Cook County Jail fall "well-short" of the Constitutional minimums guaranteed inmates.
"It can't be the only county in the country that can't afford to have a jail that satisfies Constitutional standards," Fitzgerald said.
Discussing key findings of a 17-month study of the jail, federal prosecutors allege that the jail failed on a number of levels to protect inmates from serious harm.
"There were inmates who received beatings because they insulted corrections officers," Fitzgerald said.
The federal investigation began in February of 2007 and addressed several "serious" issues at the jail: three inmates who committed suicide in the first four months of this year; other preventable deaths due to poor medical care; and violence within the jail.
In March 2007, the jail had 35 inmate fights, resulting in the confiscation of 46 weapons held by inmates, according to the report.
Additionally, the study found:
The jail failed to adequately protect inmates from harm and serious risk of harm including excessive use of force by staff and violence by other inmates.
Failure to provide adequate medical and mental health care including suicide prevention.
Failure to provide safety and sanitation "all resulting in unconstitutional living conditions," according to the U.S. Attorney's office.
The findings were laid out in a 98-page letter delivered to Cook County Board President Todd Stroger and Cook County Sheriff Thomas Dart on July 11.
"The Cook County Jail has an obligation to provide conditions of confinement that do not offend the Constitution and take reasonable measures to protect inmates from harm," Fitzgerald said in a statement. "This investigation clearly found that the jail failed that test."
Under federal law, U.S. prosecutors can now force correction of deficiencies at the jail.
Dart is planning an afternoon news conference to address the allegations.
In a statement from the office of Cook County Board President Todd Stroger, county officials said:
"The Cook County administration is concerned regarding the findings of the report and is aware of certain steps that have been taken over the last twelve months by the Bureau of Health, Facilities Management and the Sheriff's Office since the Department of Justice's site visit that are not addressed in the report.
"At the direction of the Cook County administration and through Cook County's legal counsel, the Department of Justice has already been contacted. We have communicated our desire to work with the Department of Justice and U.S. Attorneys Office to review the Report, open a dialogue and work with them regarding their recommendations."
Additional information provided by Sun-Times News Group
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