Rockford Sun

In a newsletter this week, State Sen. Brian W. Stewart criticized the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) for failing to establish court-ordered programs to fulfill inmates' medical needs.

Stewart's remarks came after Judge Jorge L. Alonso issued a contempt order against IDOC on Aug. 5.

"State Senator Brian Stewart (R-Freeport) says it’s shameful that IDOC can’t even produce a court-ordered plan to address the medical care needs of people in their care," the newsletter said.

A judge had ordered IDOC to provide a thorough strategy for expanding its health care services in 2019, a recent report from The Center Square said.

Cases dates back to 2010, when inmates filed a lawsuit citing inadequate treatment and unnecessary pain; the report went on to say. A monitor assigned by the court revealed that IDOC had not provided more than 80% of the requested material.

Gov. JB Pritzker claimed statewide staff shortages as the cause.

“In order to implement a plan, you need enough health-care professionals, and that is one of the challenges we are discussing with the other side,” Pritzker said in the report.

A recent Chicago Tribune release noted that IDOC's elderly inmates who suffered from dementia appeared to be  "neglected" and "abused." Additionally, some of these inmates were not properly hydrated or fed under the supervision of medical professionals.

Now, Judge Alonso has ordered IDOC to provide an explanation as to how their current documentation complies with the consent decree, and to do so through email by Sept. 9.

Additional deadlines and court appearances may be mandated.