Mayor Lightfoot makes a good move

Lightfoot, suburban mayors raise red flags about releasing jail detainees over COVID-19
In the letter dated Monday, Lightfoot asked the judge to “consider implementing certain protocols to ensure that detainees...are asymptomatic.”

By Lizzie Schiffman Tufano@lizzieschiffman Mar 24, 2020, 11:32am CDT


Mayor Lori Lightfoot speaks during a press conference at City Hall about the city’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, Monday afternoon, March 23, 2020. File photo. Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times file photo


Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and a coalition of suburban mayors penned a letter to Chief Criminal Court Judge Leroy Martin Monday in response to his decision to review of thousands of criminal cases with a goal of reducing the number of inmates in jail in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Most hearings will be held remotely using online conferencing apps to minimize contact among lawyers, judges and court staff, Martin said. Judges will review lists of defendants who defense attorneys and prosecutors determine do not to pose a threat to public safety, and full hearings would take place in cases where defense attorneys seek to have someone released despite objections from prosecutors.

Martin’s order came the day after the Cook County Sheriff’s Department announced that a correctional officer who worked in the jail’s Cermak medical facility tested positive for COVID-19.

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In the letter dated Monday, Lightfoot asked the judge to “consider implementing certain protocols to ensure that detainees residing in a facility where a known case has been detected are asymptomatic for a reasonable time prior to release in order to safeguard them and the public.“

The letter asks if detainees will be screened prior to release for symptoms that may indicate a possible COVID-19 infection, and whether detainees will be provided with information on how to protect themselves from contracting the virus.

Lightfoot expresses particular concern for “detainees who are eligible to be released on electronic monitoring but remain in jail ‘because they have ‘no place to stay,’” suggesting that, upon their release, they may be at risk of homelessness.

“As you surely know, our homeless population are among our most vulnerable and many of us have taken a number of steps to shore up this population,” Lightfoot writes. “We have great concerns about a release where the detainees are not otherwise connected with appropriate social service organizations so that there is a warm and supportive transition in support of this category of detainees in particular.”

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On Monday, the YMCA announced it would open some shuttered facilities in Chicago to relieve crowded shelters in accordance with recommended social distancing practices.

“We have resources to support these individuals, but we cannot be on the sidelines,” the letter concludes. “Public health considerations post-release are also relevant in this time of crisis, and must inform the individualized release determinations. We would be happy to partner with you to create protocols and appropriate screening pre-release to safeguard the health of all.”

The letter was co-signed by mayors from Hillside, Morton Grove, Riverside, Palos Hills and Robbins.