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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
RESOLUTION EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR AN INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF THE COOK COUNTY JAIL
WHEREAS, the Cook County Board of Commissioners is committed to improving public health and safety and has invested substantial resources to further that goal, including substance use disorder treatment, harm reduction programs, community-based violence intervention initiatives, and policies and programs aimed at increasing pretrial fairness; and
WHEREAS, the Cook County Department of Corrections is one of the largest single-site jails in the country, expanding ninety-six acres and eight city blocks, and as of February 2026, averages a population of around 6,000 individuals in custody; and
WHEREAS, according to multiple reports from sources such as the Vera Institute for Justice, the Cook County Jail is one of the largest institutions that jails people with mental health needs; and
WHEREAS, Cermak Health Services is the accredited provider of health services to individuals in custody at the Cook County Jail, and provides primary care, specialty care, oral health, mental health, rehabilitative and infirmary-level care to its patients; and
WHEREAS, the Cook County Sheriff and Cermak Health Services have legal and medical responsibilities to ensure the safety and well-being of individuals in custody; and
WHEREAS, between 2020 and 2025, 61 people have died while in the custody of the Cook County jail, with the most deaths occurring in 2023; and
WHEREAS, these deaths were the subject of a hearing before the Criminal Justice Committee on December 18, 2024; and
WHEREAS, while the Cook County Jail does not currently have an independent and external body reporting on the conditions of the jail, independent monitors have been shown to be a critical tool for identifying systemic failures, increasing transparency, and implementing reforms to improve conditions and services within such facilities; and
WHEREAS, the Cook County Jail was previously monitored by the...
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