Cook County Departmental Budget Hearings October 26, 2012

Sheriff Points to Court Case Delays and Economy To Explain Increase in Jail Population and Average Stays

Sheriff Tom Dart appeared before the Finance Committee and explained that his $443.5 million dollar proposed General Funds budget’s increase of $37.6 million from last year’s budget was due mainly to an increase in salaries that were negotiated in union contracts approved by the County Board.  There is also an increase in FTE (Full Time Equivalent Employee) positions of 157, though Sheriff Dart emphasized that, except for the increase in number of correction officers at the jail required by the Federal Court, his department is down by 800 employees since he took office in 2006.  Upon questioning by Comm. Silvestri, Sheriff Dart said that all 798 additional correctional officers required by the Federal Court have been hired and are in place.

The Sheriff’s budget and number of employees are the second largest in Cook County, with the budget and number of employees under the Health & Hospitals System being the largest.

Increase in Jail Population and Average Stay in Jail

The number one goal for 2012 under the County’s Performance Management System (called STAR) for the Public Safety Sector of County government is the reduction in the average daily jail population and cost.  However, Sheriff Dart reported that the current average daily population is up 1,500 from last year.  Sheriff DART reported that the current average daily jail population is 12,760.  The STAR report on the County’s web site has different numbers:  9,322 for average daily population through the end of the 3^rd quarter, up from 8,800 in 2011, or an increase of 522.  Whichever set of numbers is correct, the point is that the jail population is significantly up from last year.

The Sheriff said that about 96% of the jail population is composed of people awaiting trial, with about 4% who have been convicted and are serving short sentences.

Sheriff Dart said that the average length of stay for an inmate of the jail has increased from 54 days in 2011 to 57 days this year.  Sheriff Dart pointed to two causes:  delays in concluding cases and the economy.  With regard to the economy, the Sheriff said that there are more inmates not being able to make bail.  The Sheriff pointed to the need for the Judiciary to adopt a case management system to help identify when cases are taking longer than they should.  The Sheriff pointed to the Trotter Report, commissioned by the County, as a source for many good suggestions as to how the jail population could be reduced.

The Sheriff said that also said that the shrinking availability of mental health services, with the City of Chicago closing clinics and reduction in budgets generally, has profoundly affected the jail population.  Sheriff Dart said that about 20% of the jail population has mental health problems. 

The Sheriff reported that there are about 1250 people released on electronic monitoring, 450 on straight release, and 200 who are released but have to report.  But the Sheriff said that the maximum number who can be released has been reached.  One issue is that while the Judiciary has issued orders allowing more to be on electronic monitoring, there is no one willing to take these people into their homes.  Safe Haven is one entity that will, but that entity only accounts for about 200 inmates, and there are many more who need a place to go to be able to be released on electronic monitoring.

Other Subjects

The Sheriff also reported that the department has handled about 20,000 evictions, which is about 5,000 more than last year.  He said that problems with those being evicted have been minimal due to the many advance warnings that are given and the fact that social workers go with the Sheriff Deputies to help those being evicted find housing and other services.

The Sheriff is also handling more judicial sales than last year, which brings in revenue for the County (as opposed to when private parties handle the sales).  However, the Sheriff said that he is only handling about 800 such sales, as opposed to the 45,000 in total being done in Cook County.  He complained that the Judiciary, despite assurances last year that it would direct more such sales to the Sheriff, has failed to do so.

--Submitted by Priscilla Mims