Fourth Life Lost to COVID-19 in Cook County Jail
Yesterday, 64-year-old Karl Battiste died from COVID-19 while in the custody of the Cook County Jail. He had been incarcerated since January 2019 without bond. As of Sunday, April 19, 2020, 395 [...]
Third Life Lost: Announcing the “Decarcerate Now: Virtual Quilt” Honoring People who Died of COVID-19 while in Cook County Custody
Chicago Community Bond Fund and For the People Artists Collective are working together to curate a virtual quilt in remembrance of each individual lost to COVID-19 while incarcerated in Cook [...]
Second Person Dies from COVID-19 in Cook County Jail
Leslie Pieroni is the second person to die of COVID-19 while in the custody Cook County Jail. Mr. Pieroni was 51 years old and had been incarcerated in the jail since December 2018. We are [...]
Federal Court Affirms Government’s Responsibility to Protect Incarcerated People from COVID-19
Judge Kennelly rules that Sheriff Dart must implement policies ensuring sanitation, testing, social distancing at intake and the distribution of personal protective equipment. A federal judge in [...]
Call the City of Chicago to Demand They Drop Their Opposition to Release!
Last night, Chicago’s city government submitted an amicus brief in support of keeping people incarcerated in Cook County Jail, the epicenter of the nation’s COVID-19 pandemic. This position is [...]
Flo’s Call to Action: Release People from Jail to Protect Public Health
Flo spent 52 in cook County Jail in 2016 because he couldn’t afford to pay his bond. He recorded this message, steeped in his personal experience, speaking to the urgent need to release [...]
Statement on the Solidarity Caravan Calling for Mass Release of Incarcerated People in the Name of Public Health
Today, a coalition of organizations from across the Chicago area are leading noise demos at three strategic locations, demanding action from our elected officials—including Governor JB Pritzker, [...]
First Life Lost to COVID-19 in Cook County Jail
We are deeply saddened to learn of the death of Jeffery Pendleton, the first person to die from COVID-19 while in the custody of Cook County Jail. He was 59 years old and incarcerated because he [...]
Federal Lawsuit Demands Release of People from Cook County Jail to Prevent Coronavirus Deaths
Read the complaint and declarations from medical experts and people currently incarcerated in Cook County Jail. A press conference will be aired on CCBF’s Facebook page today at 11am. Late [...]
Community Organizing in Response to COVID19 Pandemic Leads to 1,000 Fewer People Incarcerated in Cook County Jail
CCBF first raised the alarm about the threat COVID-19 posed to people incarcerated in Cook County Jail on March 6th. The following week, on March 13th, we were joined by more than 25 advocacy, [...]