(Greg Bishop The Center Square) – Thousands of inmates have left Illinois prisons since March 1, according to documents published by the state, but It’s unclear how many of those people have been tested for COVID-19.
Some Republican lawmakers have raised concerns about prison testing procedures given concerns about people without symptoms still spreading the disease.
Public health officials have said mandating masks in public spaces where social distancing cannot be observed is because some people who don’t show symptoms can still have COVID-19 and unwittingly spread it to others.
The Illinois Department of Corrections said it is doing targeted tests of inmates and staff. The department reported 191 confirmed cases among those in prison. But when asked if the department was testing people before release, Gov. J.B. Pritzker wouldn’t say if all those his administration is releasing early have been tested.
“There’s not a need to go test every single one of them,” Pritzker said Monday.
Jennifer Vollen-Katz, executive director of the John Howard Association, said that more testing is needed.
“Because prisons are congregant settings where people cannot social distance, nor can they remove themselves, it is critical to know more about how rampant the virus is inside of them,” she said. “Using symptoms alone as a guide, testing only those who present with them, does not provide information on levels of exposure and contagion. In order to better understand the infection rate inside prisons, make sure the necessary resources are available, and that local health care facilities are prepared for the increase in patients from nearby prisons, testing all prisoners and staff is critical.”
Vollen-Katz also said people should quarantine after release.
“Given the high levels of exposure most prisoners have been subject to due to space constraints inside prisons, a period of quarantine should be adhered to upon release in order to minimize the risk to others by unknowingly spreading the virus,” she said. “Testing people as they leave IDOC custody is a good idea, but these results are only indicative of the person’s health status that day and should not be the guiding factor in determining if someone should quarantine upon release.”
There have been more than 4,700 inmates released from Illinois facilities since March 1, according to state records. Some have completed their sentence. Some have been paroled. Others have left on conditional release. Since late March, 90 have been furloughed.
State Sen. Steve McClure, R-Springfield, has been critical of the governor releasing inmates early. He said all people in the prisons need to be tested, especially those being released from facilities where positive cases have been reported.
“They could potentially be asymptomatic and positive to COVID-19,” McClure said. “To me, that sends the signal that, in fact, public safety is not the top priority.”
State Rep. John Cabello, R-Machesney Park, who has a pending lawsuit challenging the governor’s stay-at-home order with a venue hearing scheduled later this week, has raised concerns about the early release or transfer of detainees.
He said the public should be concerned about asymptomatic spread.
“But on the other hand, if they follow the guidelines, apparently they should be OK,” Cabello said. “Which means if we follow the guidelines that allow these criminals to be released early from prison, well then maybe we should all be released from our homes early.”
At Stateville prison, IDOC reported 150 confirmed cases. There have been 46 inmates furloughed from there since mid-April.
There have been 12 inmates that have died from COVID-19 associated with Stateville. No IDOC staff have died of the disease, according to officials.
IDOC reported at Hill Correctional Center there were 14 individuals confirmed with COVID-19. Since March 1, around 80 inmates have been released, either on parole or at the end of their sentence.
