By Drew Zimmerman
Herald & Review, Decatur, Ill.
CHICAGO — Missing mandatory observation checks and inadequate staffing levels were among the most common Illinois Jail Code compliance violations for county jails in 2024, according to Illinois Department of Corrections data.
Illinois County Jail Standards state that each jail must have sufficient personnel to provide adequate 24-hour supervision of detainees. To achieve this, no less than two officers should be assigned at all times to ensure adequate supervision of detainees.
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More than a dozen jails were in noncompliance with this standard during their 2024 inspections, according to IDOC inspection reports. Some facilities used only one jail officer during weekend and overnight shifts, and others relied on radio dispatchers to perform certain duties.
Unless continuous monitoring is allowed as a variance, a jail officer must also perform a direct, personal inspection of every detainee at least every 30 minutes and document it for the shift record.
In 2024, more than 40 jails were shown to have missed 30-minute observations during the inspection period.
Naomi Puzzello, public information officer for the Illinois Department of Corrections, said that when a jail monitor conducts a facility review, they will randomly select a 72-hour period and check the total of number of on-time personal observation against the total required.
For larger facilities, the monitor may review a random sampling of all observation checks since a 72-hour period could yield thousands of personal observations.
IDOC reported that the Peoria County Jail performed timely checks 57% of the time during a sample period in 2024. The lowest percentages of observation came from Fayette County, which performed checks 27% of the time and Massac County, which performed checks 19% of the time.
Former McLean County Jail employee Chandler Jordan monitors the McLean County Jail in the observation room on October 2023 .
The Cook County Jail, who was compliant with this requirement 82.4% of the time, has come under recent fire over the practice of cross-watching, which occurs when correctional officers are required to supervise more than one tier of detainees during their shift.
A 2007 civil rights investigation conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice identified life-threatening deficiencies in sanitation and safety. This included inadequate medical and mental health care, including proper suicide prevention.
As a result, a 2010 court order prohibited cross-watching except under special circumstances. Although the order was lifted in 2017 after the hiring of new officers and the addition of more security cameras, cross-watching continues and is believed to have contributed to one suicide reported by the Cook County Jail in 2023, according to attorney Martin O’Connor.
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On Christmas 2023, roughly two weeks after Cook County received their annual IDOC inspection, Michael O’Connor, Martin’s brother was found dead in his cell. Family members said O’Connor had a well-documented history of mental health issues and should have been hospitalized, not segregated in jail.
O’Connor said during testimony before the Cook County Criminal Justice Committee in December that new policies don’t mean a lot if officers are not following them. He also claimed that the jail cross-watched a psych tier the day his brother died.
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According to Injustice Watch, a nonprofit news agency that investigates the Cook County court system, O’Connor and at least three other detainees died on days where their tier was being cross-watched for at least one shift.
“Despite knowing cross-watching is wrong, despite probably having a policy not to do it, despite the DOJ saying (not to) do it, the sheriff on Christmas cross-watches the most vulnerable people at the most vulnerable time,” O’Connor said.
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According to a statement from the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, the practice of dual assignments, which is synonymous with cross-watching and involves correctional officers monitoring more than one living unit at once, is not prohibited by law and is common practice in facilities across the country.
“The Cook County Jail tries to avoid this practice as much as possible and is only implemented when necessary,” the statement read. “The Cook County Jail has significant challenges with staffing the jail based on the number of correctional staff that call off daily.”
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The Cook County Department of Corrections currently employs 2,091 correctional officers, which fulfills 93% of budgeted positions in fiscal 2025. On average, 237 officers take an unscheduled absence or leave in a 24-hour period.
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