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| Cardinal Visits Ill. Jail; Inmates Air Complaints |
| By Chicago Tribune |
| Published: 06/19/2003 |
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After touring the Cook County Jail for several hours June 10, Cardinal Francis George said he was struck by the plight of inmates at the sprawling complex as well as their sheer numbers. George said he spent much of his tour hearing from some of the more than 10,000 who are incarcerated there. He said they had complaints about everything from the conduct of some jail officers to the food to their lack of regular access to lawyers. 'The idea is you go in and listen to them. They are human beings and they have to be respected,' said George, who visited sections of the jail with officials from the John Howard Association for Prison Reform. 'They have something to say.' George's visit with representatives of the watchdog organization came during what has been a trying half-year at the facility. Both the U.S. Department of Justice and the Cook County state's attorney's office are investigating alleged inmate beatings by jail officers in recent years, and a Cook County grand jury is preparing a report on conditions for the county's chief Criminal Court judge. In addition, Cook County Sheriff Michael Sheahan has appointed his own panel of experts to consider brutality allegations. 'There were some [inmate] stories such as that,' said George, who added that inmates complained that 'sometimes [officers] are slow to intervene when there was a fight in which someone was hurt.' George said inmates had more complaints about such things as access to working telephones, air circulation, plumbing and having to sleep on the floor. Many of the issues involve the poor health of those who arrive at the jail, he said, and the large number being held there--including many for relatively minor offenses, such as traffic violations. Many told him about feelings of being isolated from their spouses and children, he said. Another inmate, who spoke Polish, complained about a language barrier, George said. George said he and the officials passed on many of the complaints to authorities, while some of them were meant for his ears. Many asked for prayer, he said. |
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