Department Review Meetings for 2014 Budget: Friday, October 25, 2014

Sheriff’s Budget

Sheriff Tom Dart was ill, so Undersheriff Zelda Whittler presented the office’s budget request.  The Undersheriff reported that as of that morning, there were 9,893 inmates at the County Jail, with an additional 3,160 people on electronic monitoring or diversion programs.  The daily average of inmates has consistently hovered over 10,000/day this year, with the average length of stay increasing since 2007 from 47.9 days to 57 days in 2012.  The increase in the average length of stay and the number of inmates have a direct correlation to the large increase in overtime:  $8 million had been projected for 2013, but the actual is now expected to be $23 million.  The 2014 proposed budget has $15 million for overtime. Commissioner Suffredin questioned whether this was reasonable in light of this year’s experience and was told “yes.”  The Sheriff’s Office is very hopeful that the November 14 interdepartmental meeting called by Illinois Supreme Court Justice Kilbride will lead ultimately to reductions in the length of stay.

A major issue for the Jail is the number of mentally ill detainees.  To deal with them, the Sheriff has a new Office of Mental Health & Advocacy to interview people at the time of intake to provide information to the State’s Attorney and judges.  The Sheriff now has a 24-hour mental health helpline for former detainees and family members, which is averaging 17 calls/day.  The Sheriff is also establishing partnerships with local entities to continue care after detention. 

Another concern is the Court Services Division under the Sheriff which has lost 517 deputy positions since 2006 due to lack of funding and the need to use personnel for other functions, such as jail guards.  The Sheriff has been recommending that status hearings be conducted via closed circuit television between the Courthouse and the Jail to eliminate the need to transport inmates to court rooms.  The Sheriff is also suggesting that the court rooms in the Daley Center be organized by subject matter so that deputies can be deployed where there are greater risks.

Answering a question from Commissioner Gorman, the Undersheriff said that there has been no decrease noticed in the number of arrests as a result of tickets being issued instead of arresting those with small amounts of marijuana.  In response to a question from Commissioner Suffredin, the Undersheriff stated that it has been taking 9-10 months for the hiring process for correctional officers.  The Sheriff is proposing legislation in Springfield to transfer the employments aspects of the Merit Board to the Sheriff’s office in order to reduce the employment process, leaving the disciplinary aspects with the Merit Board. 

To help reduce the length of stay, Commissioner Suffredin said he was going to propose a revolving loan fund to help inmates post bonds that are under $20,000.  The STAR report shows that the average length of stay for those who ultimately post bond is 13 days, which means that it is taking that long for the inmate or the family to secure the funds necessary.  Such a revolving fund would help in those cases.  Commissioner Suffredin lamented the fact that people lose the right to Medicaid while in jail, meaning that the County picks up the full costs of their healthcare.

-- Priscilla Mims, observer