GALESBURG — For the first time in two decades, Robert Curry has a window. Curry is one of over 400 men transferred out of Stateville Correctional Center before its closure at the end of September. “I am able to see the world,” he said. “I’m able to see things like the highway from the yard.
CHAMPAIGN – Nearly 350 incarcerated people in the custody of the Illinois Department of Corrections have tested positive for COVID-19, and more than 200 staff members have also contracted the virus. At least 13 inmates have died from COVID-19. But as of June 23, IDOC had conducted only 958 COVID-19 tests on its prison population,
Editor’s note: This story was updated at 7:54 p.m. on May 26 to include comments from the Illinois Department of Corrections. An amended lawsuit filed against Rob Jeffreys, director of the Illinois Department of Corrections, and Gov. J.B. Pritzker last week claims that the state’s prison system has failed to protect medically vulnerable prisoners from
Joseph Horton is overwhelmed and stressed because he’s struggling to keep himself and his cell clean. Horton is incarcerated at Menard Correctional Center in southern Illinois. He says safety measures have improved in the prisons since the pandemic began, but he says more could be done to protect inmates. “I’m in a cell with another
URBANA – At least six men incarcerated in the Stateville Correctional Center near Joliet have died after contracting COVID-19. According to the Illinois Department of Corrections, 123 people incarcerated at Stateville have tested positive for the virus along with 65 staff members. Other prisons across the state have also reported cases of the virus among
1,006 New COVID-19 Cases, 33 New Deaths Reported In Illinois CHICAGO – The Illinois Department of Public Health announced 1,006 new cases of COVID-19 in Illinois on Monday, including 33 deaths. Monday’s state report did not include the death of a COVID-19 patient in Champaign County, reported Monday by the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District. A
Cases of COVID-19 in Illinois Top 11,000 CHICAGO – On Sunday, the Illinois Dept. of Public Health reported the statewide total of COVID-19 cases has grown to 11,256. The death toll now stands at 274. The state also says more than 58,000 people have been tested at IDPH, commercial or hospital laboratories. IDPH director Dr.
Illinois Confirmed COVID-19 Cases Top 5,000 CHAMPAIGN – On Monday, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported 461 new cases of the coronavirus disease, COVID-19, bringing the state’s total so far to 5,057. In addition, the death toll in Illinois stands at 75. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email