On this International Overdose Awareness Day, the Coalition to End Money Bond is issuing a list of demands to address the overdose crisis happening at Cook County Jail. The theme of this year’s International Overdose Awareness Day–“Recognizing those people who go unseen”–is about acknowledging people in our communities who are affected by overdose but might go unseen in the crisis. This theme is embodied by the current situation at Cook County Jail where deaths have gone unmentioned in the media and the Sheriff’s Office has responded  to this public health crisis with punitive measures like the establishment of a paper ban and limiting incarcerated people’s access to books.

In the last year, 14 people have died while in the custody of the Cook County Sheriff’s Office. Documents recovered through Freedom of Information Act requests indicate that overdose was a potential factor in the deaths of ten of those individuals. We are calling on all Cook County stakeholders to work together to swiftly reduce the number of people incarcerated in Cook County Jail and to meet the demands of our Coalition to prevent the further loss of life.

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Stopping the Loss of Life in Cook County Jail

Since January 1st, 14 people have died while incarcerated in Cook County Jail. We mourn the loss of these lives and our hearts go out to their families. As community organizations representing thousands of Cook County residents, we are concerned that the Cook County Sheriff’s Office has been unable to keep the people in their custody safe and that their response to the loss of lives has been to cover up these deaths and implement punitive measures that have further worsened the quality of life of people incarcerated in the jail.

We are calling for all Cook County stakeholders to work together to reduce the number of people incarcerated in the jail and for the Sheriff’s Office to meet the following demands without retaliation against those courageous enough to bring attention to the jail’s life-threatening mishandling of resources:

1. Life-saving care, particularly regarding overdose, must be available and provided for everyone incarcerated in Cook County Jail.

• No procedures or protocol should delay the administration of Naloxone by officers or people incarcerated in Cook County Jail.
• Every incarcerated individual and staff person should be trained and required to use Naloxone in the event of a suspected overdose.
• Naloxone and test strips for adulterants are evidence-based harm reduction tools and should be freely available without consequence. 

2. Incarcerated people should have free access to paper and the Sheriff’s Office should cease undue confiscation of paper materials. Access to educational materials, programming, and libraries should be universal within Cook County Jail.

• End the paper ban. Stop preventing lawyers, program facilitators, and visitors from bringing paper into the jail.
• People should have access to all kinds of reading materials, including legal documents, books, and paper on which to write and draw.
• Tablets should not be the only access people have to books, documents, and educational materials.
• Books and mail should not be rejected without verified proof that each specific rejected item contains illegal substances.
• Any items rejected by the jail without verified proof that the item contains contraband should be returned to the sender rather than confiscated by the jail.
• All divisions should have functioning and freely accessible libraries. Those libraries should have the same diverse collection of materials as outside libraries. 
• Funding for library services come out of the Sheriff’s existing budget, which has continued to grow substantially even as the number of people incarcerated in Cook County Jail has sharply decreased in recent years.

3. All incarcerated people should have access to medical services and public health measures to ensure that they are able to meet their most basic physical and mental health needs.

• Incarcerated people must have consistent access to healthy meals and clean drinking water. 
• Soap, frequent laundry, fresh and nutritious food, and other basic necessities should be provided at no cost. 
• Medical services, including substance use treatmentdisorder and mental health treatment, should be provided efficiently, with care, and without risk of retribution.

4. Cook County Jail’s facilities should be high-quality, comfortable, and sanitary.

• Spaces where incarcerated people live should be held to the same workplace safety heating and cooling standards as OSHA and tenant requirements. 
• Spaces should be free of environmental hazards including mold, pests and particulate matter.
• Improving the facilities inside Cook County Jail should come out of the Sheriff’s existing budget which has continued to grow substantially even as the number of people incarcerated in Cook County Jail has sharply decreased in recent years.

5. People incarcerated in Cook County Jail should have greater life-saving contact with the non-incarcerated community. 

• Virtual visitation cannot replace in person contact with loved ones, faith leaders, or lawyers.
• In person visits should be accessible and the default option and virtual visits should be used to increase accessibility to community contact and not be used as a tool of surveillance and exploitation. 
• People who express concerns about their mental health should be given evidence-based care and contact with loved ones rather than forced into further isolation within the facility.

6. The Cook County Sheriff’s Office should be transparent and accountable to the public about all policies, processes, and conditions inside the jail. 

• The Sheriff’s Office should promptly and privately notify families anytime someone dies in custody. 
• The Sheriff should publicly announce every death in custody by posting information in a central location on the Sheriff’s Office website. Information about the cause of death should be shared as soon as available. These announcements should center the dignity of the individual who has died.
• Cook County Jail should be regularly and independently audited and inspected for conditions. Detailed reports should be released publicly.