Cook County inspector general documents some ongoing issues at County Jail
In a review completed recently, the Cook County Office of the Independent Inspector General found persistent problems at the County Jail with supervision, maintenance, sanitation, and housing conditions.
The review was documented in a letter to Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart on Oct. 16, and released to the public on Friday of last week.
It came in response to complaints from inmates and their family members about the state of the jail — including uninhabitable living conditions, staffing shortages, and poor medical care, the OIIG said.
The OIIG reviewed inspection reports at the jail from the Illinois Department of Corrections, along with sheriff's office staffing reports and other documentation for the review.
IDOC reports issued between 2022 and 2024 documented a failure on the part of staff to complete supervisory checks, which demonstrated a "worsening trend in detainee-supervision requirement" as well as problems with sanitation and maintenance.
The OIIG said a 2022 inspection found standing water, mold, rust, ventilation and temperature complaints, and water damage, while a 2023 inspection found trash, debris, graffiti, loose tiles, and mildewy showers, among other problems. In 2024, the inspection found bedding on floors, graffiti and soot, and unsecured restroom doors, the OIIG said.
However, the reports also documented improvements in several areas, including roofing and flooring, ADA accessibility, camera and communication upgrades, kitchen equipment, and body-scanning technology, among other things. It also found that several core functions, from administration and training to food and library services, were compliant or not formally deficient.
Meanwhile, an April 2026 staffing report found that staffing for sheriff's deputies assigned to the Cook County Department of Corrections was not evenly distributed throughout the week or across shifts.
The reports the OIIG reviewed also documented a persistent pattern of suspected intoxication and narcotics activity among inmates in jail. From January 2023 until Sept. 28 of this year, 560 people in custody were involved in suspected intoxication incidents, the OIIG said.
Illinois State Police lab results found that multiple controlled substances made it into the jail, with synthetic marijuana products most frequently seen.
The report also found that inmate-caused property damage was to blame for much of the physical deterioration at the Cook County Jail.
The OIIG also evaluated medical emergency response times at the jail, finding that they averaged 70.2 minutes in 2023, 45.2 minutes in 2024, and 57.5 minutes in 2025. But the OIIG said this does not necessarily indicate a delay in medical treatment, as it may involve inmates being treated at Cermak Health Services within the jail before 911 was called.
The office made several recommendations on handling security checks, facilities maintenance, property damage reports, and medical emergencies, among other issues.
The Sheriff's office issued a response to the OIIG last week, noting that it had cooperated fully with all requests and had, among other things, provided articles related to a drug-soaked paper epidemic that jails have been fighting for three years and disciplinary reports on property damage.
Corrections officials also met with OIIG investigators and discussed recommendations verbally.
