Thousands of inmates have left Illinois prisons since March 1, according to documents published by the state, but it’s unclear how many of those people have been tested for COVID-19.
Some Republican lawmakers have raised concerns about prison testing procedures given concerns about people without symptoms still spreading the disease.
Public health officials have said mandating masks in public spaces where social distancing cannot be observed is because some people who don’t show symptoms can still have COVID-19 and unwittingly spread it to others.
The Illinois Department of Corrections said it is doing targeted tests of inmates and staff. The department reported 191 confirmed cases among those in prison. But when asked if the department was testing people before release, Gov. J.B. Pritzker wouldn’t say if all those his administration is releasing early have been tested.
“There’s not a need to go test every single one of them,” Pritzker said Monday.
There have been more than 4,700 inmates released from Illinois facilities since March 1, according to state records. Some have completed their sentence. Some have been paroled. Others have left on conditional release. Since late March, 90 have been furloughed.
State Sen. Steve McClure, R-Springfield, has been critical of the governor releasing inmates early. He said all people in the prisons need to be tested, especially those being released from facilities where positive cases have been reported.
“They could potentially be asymptomatic and positive to COVID-19,” McClure said. “To me, that sends the signal that, in fact, public safety is not the top priority.”
State Rep. John Cabello, R-Machesney Park, who has a pending lawsuit challenging the governor's stay-at-home order with a venue hearing scheduled later this week, has raised concerns about the early release or transfer of detainees.
He said the public should be concerned about asymptomatic spread.
“But on the other hand, if they follow the guidelines, apparently they should be OK,” Cabello said. “Which means if we follow the guidelines that allow these criminals to be released early from prison, well then maybe we should all be released from our homes early.”
At Stateville prison, IDOC reported 150 confirmed cases. There have been 46 inmates furloughed from there since mid-April.
There have been 12 inmates that have died from COVID-19 associated with Stateville. No IDOC staff have died of the disease, according to officials.
IDOC reported at Hill Correctional Center there were 14 individuals confirmed with COVID-19. Since March 1, around 80 inmates have been released, either on parole or at the end of their sentence.
IDOC COVID-19 statistics: https://www2.illinois.gov/idoc/facilities/Pages/Covid19Response.aspx
IDOC exits since March 1: https://www.idoc.state.il.us/subsections/search/COVID_19/FINAL%20list%20of%20exits.xlsx