Advocates demand end to prison lockdowns in Illinois

Prison reform advocates Friday called on the Illinois Department of Corrections and Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office to lift “torturous” lockdowns now that inmates and corrections workers are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

Since the prison population is part of the state’s second vaccination phase, which began Jan. 25, family visits can soon be restored and the governor can sign clemency petitions, members of The End Illinois Prison Lockdown Coalition said outside the Thompson Center, 100 W. Randolph St.

Thirteen prisons throughout the state are currently under full lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, and 32 are under administrative quarantine.

As of Friday, there were 123 inmates who tested positive for the coronavirus, according to the IDOC’s website.

Friday’s demonstration came weeks after Pritzker signed the Criminal Justice Omnibus Bill last month. The bill includes policing, prison and sentencing reforms — all necessary steps needed in reforming Illinois prisons, coalition members said.

“We believe that [Pritzker] ought to continue to be revolutionized in his agenda and take very bold steps despite the fact that critics may have a problem with it,” former inmate and police torture survivor Kilroy Watkins said while calling for Pritzker to end the lockdowns.

Watkins Friday read testimonies from inmates, including one who said he and his fellow inmates were quarantined in their cell for “23 hours a day most days.”

The coalition on Friday wrote a list of demands on a banner displayed outside the Thompson Center.

Among its demands was for the upgrading of the ventilation systems in Illinois prisons and for the Illinois Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission to receive more state funding.

“The battle to ensure people in prisons are prioritized in vaccine distributions was won,” said Katrina Phidd, a spokeswoman and digital strategy manager for Chicago Votes.

“However, IDOC is still implementing really inconsistent and harmful responses. We would just like Gov. Pritzker to use his power to oversee IDOC, sign clemency petitions and allow for a mass release (from lockdowns).”