NCJ Number
89103
Date Published
1979
Length
42 pages
Annotation
These recommendations for short-term and long-term action to improve inmate records' transfer from the Cook County Jail to the Illinois Department of Corrections are greatly needed, because current procedures involve gross injustice to inmates, massive waste of money, and, in some cases, violation of law.
Abstract
Particular problems exist in the timely and accurate transfer of records on both time served in the county jail and medical information on inmates. Medical records for inmates of the jail are maintained at Cermak Memorial Hospital, the jail's medical facility. These records may include such information as the results of diagnostic tests, serious ongoing health problems, and data on treatment. No medical information accompanies the inmates transferred from the jail to Joliet Correctional Center's Reception and Classification Center (R and C). The R and C medical personnel rely on two sources for inmates' medical information: the inmates themselves and telephone contact with Cermak. Illinois law provides that inmates get credit on their sentence for all time spent in custody pertaining to the offense at issue. Records on time served that currently accompany inmates in their transfer show only the last continuous period of confinement in the jail, even though other types and periods of custody may have been served in connection with the offense for which the inmate is being imprisoned. Fifteen short-term and five long-term recommendations are offered to address these problems. Appendixes contain material currently used in records and records transfer.