More than 200 people incarcerated in Cook County Jail are currently infected with COVID-19. The number of people incarcerated in the jail who have tested positive for the virus has more than doubled in the last two weeks, and one person, 85 year-old Harold Graszer, has died. There are currently nearly as many people caged in the cramped confines of Cook County Jail as there were at the start of the pandemic. Over the last several months, Cook County judges and prosecutors have undone all the work done by advocates and public defenders at the start of the pandemic to reduce the number of people incarcerated in the jail. Meanwhile, Sheriff Dart successfully overturned the part of a federal court order that required him to socially distance people in the jail. This has created an environment where further COVID-19 deaths are inevitable in Cook County Jail.

This morning, Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans announced that all court hearings are going virtual and called for increased bond reviews. While necessary, this action is inadequate. Over the last several months, Cook County judges have repeatedly incarcerated people in the jail with unaffordable money bonds, ignoring the deadly consequences of packing the jail during the pandemic. Throughout the last several months, Cook County’s criminal court stakeholders have failed to take this pandemic seriously enough. We are again urging them to take swift and bold action to reduce the number of people incarcerated in the jail before further lives are lost.

Please take a few minutes today to call and email the below elected officials and ask them to act now to save lives!

Call-in & Email Scripts

State’s Attorney Office

Phone: (312) 603-1880

Email: statesattorney@cookcountyil.gov

“Hi, my name is ______ and I live in _________. I’m calling to demand that the Cook County State’s Attorney Office take steps to dramatically lower the number of people in jail in response to COVID-19. This means declining to prosecute most cases, not filing new violations of bond or probation conditions, and instructing line prosecutors to support release of people currently detained pretrial in Cook County Jail in bond hearings.”

Sheriff’s Office

Phone: (312) 603-6444

Email: CCSO@cookcountyil.gov

“Hi, my name is ______ and I live in _________. I’m calling to demand that the Cook County Sheriff’s Office take steps to dramatically lower the number of people in jail in response to COVID-19 and ensure that anyone in his custody is able to practice social distancing.”

Office of the Chief Judge

Phone: (312) 603-6000

Email: timothy.evans@cookcountyil.gov

“Hi, my name is ______ and I live in _________. I’m calling to demand that the Cook County Chief Judge take steps to dramatically lower the number of people in jail in response to COVID-19. This means facilitating bond review hearings for people currently in jail and instructing judges not to admit new people to the jail.”