Cook County Jail Sees Ninth Death from COVID-19
On December 23, 2020, Theodore Becker died after contracting COVID-19 inside of Cook County Jail. He was 64 years old and, and is now the ninth person to die from COVID-19 while in the custody of [...]
More Than 200 People Incarcerated in Cook County Jail Test Positive for COVID-19
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 [...]
Another Life Needlessly Lost to COVID-19 at Cook County Jail
William Sobczyk has become the seventh person to die from COVID-19 while in the custody of Cook County Jail (CCJ). Prior to being hospitalized, Mr. Sobczyk was incarcerated in the Cermak Health [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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, [...]
Number of People Incarcerated in Cook County Jail Rises During the COVID-19 Pandemic
For the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of people incarcerated in Cook County Jail has gone up. Between yesterday and today, at least 50 people were admitted to [...]
More Than 100 People Incarcerated in Cook County Jail Have Tested Positive for COVID-19
In just one week, the number of people at Cook County Jail who have tested positive for COVID-19 has gone from two to 101, with more than 90 people awaiting test results. At the current rate of [...]