Cook County Jail

Over 850 detainees and jail staffers are currently infected with coronavirus after a sharp increase in cases driven by the Omicron variant.

The jail is seeing the most infected people since last winter, before the vaccines were readily available, with 109 detained people positive for COVID-19.

The rappers urged state lawmakers to pass a bill to make people eligible for parole after they’ve served at least 20 years in prison. 

Officials say they will not use explosives for the teardown, and neighbors can access air quality information during the work.

Thousands of correctional officers and hundreds of inmates have now been vaccinated. Advocates pushed for detained people to receive shots sooner because of the risks they face.

"We know the more information individuals have ahead of time ... the more apt they are to make an informed choice about their health care," said Tanya Woods, executive director of the Westside Justice Center.

The state Legislature approved the Pretrial Fairness Act, which will end money bond statewide, and other sweeping criminal justice reforms Wednesday.

Air quality monitoring data will be available to neighbors during the demolition work.

Dozens of groups demanded the state act more quickly to protect prisoners and detainees, who now are in line to be vaccinated in the second round of immunizations. The policy change is "a major victory," an advocate said.

Officers and supporters of inmates are furious with the way Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart has handled the pandemic in the jail.

Cook County Jail was home to one of the largest coronavirus clusters in the nation this spring. Now, cases are growing again, from a few dozen at the beginning of the month to 190 as of Tuesday.

Officials, in error, flagged the guides as contraband and sent them back.

The ruling follows a previous court order that required the sheriff to improve conditions inside the jail.

More than 1,000 Cook County Sheriff's Office employees and jail detainees have tested positive for coronavirus. Though most have recovered, seven detainees and four sheriff's office employees died.

By approving the Justice for Black Lives resolution, Cook County will work to steer its multibillion-dollar policing budget toward health care, restorative justice and jobs instead in the coming years.

Advocates want money from the jail to be reallocated towards housing, health care, jobs and mental health.

A study by a University of Chicago researcher found nearly 16 percent of all coronavirus cases in Chicago are related to people cycling in and out of jail.

Cook County Jail is a hot spot for coronavirus, and one group is trying to prevent defendants from being sent there because they can't afford bail.

Attorneys are asking a federal judge to order the Sheriff to prove the jail is complying with an earlier injunction that requires added sanitation, testing, and PPE for detainees.