Prairie State Wire

The Illinois Sheriffs' Association (ISA) has filed a suit against Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC), alleging IDOC is refusing to accept transfers of parole violators or convicted individuals from jails across the state, according to a news release and Facebook post May 28.

According to the ISA, Pritzker suspended admissions to IDOC facilities as part of his response to the COVID-19 pandemic, on March 26.

“At the time, the leaders at IDOC said they needed time to prepare and install proper intake procedures to reduce the spread of the virus from inmates transferred out of county jails,” the ISA wrote in the Facebook post. “However, no such preparations have been made or implemented, despite repeated discussions between members of the ISA and IDOC.”

It said IDOCC has shut the doors, placing a massive burden on county sheriffs, who not only have to protect detainees and county-sentenced inmates from the threat of the novel coronavirus but those too who should be in state custody.

This is particularly problematic for county sheriffs whose jails continue to bring in new arrested suspects and have to manage the spread of the virus, when space and population are critical components to keep COVID-19 from spreading.

“Since March 26, IDOC officials have repeatedly denied requests from sheriffs' offices to transfer individuals to the agency’s custody. Currently there are hundreds of individuals being held in jails across Illinois instead of a state correctional facility simply because Gov. Pritzker and IDOC have decided to wall themselves off rather than work with their fellow law enforcement partners to address the issue,” the ISA wrote in their statement.

State Rep. John M. Cabello (R-66), cheered the Illinois Sheriffs' Association’s actions in a tweet May 29. He wrote: “Illinois Sheriffs' ROCK! Illinois Sheriffs' Association suit @GovPritzker https://facebook.com/10746578458953.