COVID-19 inside IL Prisons

On this page you can find JHA publications related to COVID-19, information on how to contact IDOC, and how to report concerns to JHA. Please visit our newly redesigned COVID-19 Resource page for a list of external resources related to COVID-19 as well as information on how to advocate on behalf of those who are incarcerated.

JHA urges those who are in prison to avail themselves of the COVID-19 vaccination in order to protect themselves and each other. Hear from experts why this is so important by reading this fact sheet and watching this video.

JHA Statements, Recommendations and Updates on COVID-19

2021

• December 21st: Three State Prison Oversight During the COVID-19 Pandemic (The case for increased transparency, accountability, and monitoring based on experiences from Illinois, New York and Pennsylvania)

• August 24th: COVID-19 Deaths Reported within Prisons March 2020-2021

• March 14th Statement: Marking One Year of COVID-19 Prison Lockdowns

• March 2nd Communications Briefing

2020

• September 11th Statement: The Need for Public Health Involvement in Prisons: from Pandemic to Pontiac Fever

• August 5th Statement: Minimize COVID-19 Transmission Risks between County and State Correctional Facilities

• June 9th Statement: JHA System-Wide Survey on COVID-19 in IDOC:  Initial Results Released

  • IDOC Response June 2020 to JHA’s COVID-19 Survey

• May 27th Statement: COVID-19 Exposes the Detrimental Impact of Housing Restriction Laws on Releasing People from Prison

• April 30th Communications Update with IDOC Response

• April 17th Joint Statement by the Cook County Public Defender and JHA

• April 17th Communications Update

• April 8th Update

• April 8th Communications Update

• April 8th Recommendations for Illinois Prisons

• March 27th Statement and Communications Update

• March 10th Statement

JHA IDOC-wide Survey on COVID-19

It is critically important that we know and better understand how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the health, safety, and quality of life of people who are incarcerated in Illinois’ prisons. In order to get this information, JHA conducted our first ever system-wide survey in spring 2020 with the generous support of the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Find all results here.

Questions or concerns about how IDOC is responding to COVID-19 in Illinois prisons?

The IDOC COVID-19 hotline phone and email are no longer active.  IDOC has added a new position to serve as a point of contact with families and friends. Natalie Mason is the Family Liaison, and IDOC recommends you contact her with questions and concerns at 217-558-2200 ext. 6226 or DOC.Constituent.Services@illinois.gov.  If you have a medical concern to raise, JHA suggests you contact the facility where your loved one is directly. You can also find more information from IDOC on how they are responding to COVID-19 here. JHA is interested in hearing about your experience with this office.

During this time where prison visits are no longer possible, JHA would like to learn what you are hearing from loved ones inside Illinois’ prisons regarding COVID-19. Please use our online contact form to share any information you have with us. Alternatively, please call us and leave a voicemail message with what you’ve learned from loved one at 312-291-9183 x208. We will be tracking all information that comes in and using it to advocate on behalf of those behind prison walls; unfortunately, during this time we will be unable to respond to the majority of letters, calls or emails. Thank you for your understanding and your assistance.

To view JHA commentary in the media about COVID-19 in our prisons, please visit our News page.

Featured Posts on COVID-19 in Prisons

Dr. Illya Szilak is a board-certified internist and infectious disease doctor at Rikers Island Jail in New York City.  Dr. Szilak has provided medical care to people incarcerated at Rikers for over three years, and she is also an award-winning writer and filmmaker whose most recent work ,”Queerskins,” was awarded a Peabody Futures of Media Award in 2019. In partnership with JHA, Dr. Szilak wrote several posts recounting her frontline observations as a doctor treating people incarcerated during the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. Reflections from inside correctional settings are always essential; at times when external oversight is precluded from shedding light on how facilities are operating and people inside are faring, they are vital.

• May 12, 2020: Cut

• April 29, 2020: Fireball

• April 21, 2020: Security