Jail overcrowding, traditionally a problem plaguing big cities, has hit Du Page County in crisis proportions.
There was plenty of warning, warning that went unheeded.
When Du Page County began planning the construction of a new jail scheduled to open in 1983, the sheriff and several area judges warned the county that the 310-bed facility could accommodate the growing number of prisoners for a short time only.
”They brought consultants who said they would build for 200 (prisoners). I said I needed 300 but preferred 400,” said Sheriff Richard Doria. ”I couldn`t guarantee 400 being enough past 1990.” Doria said he told them at the time that he believed they would have to continue to use the old jail.
The county made some last-minute design changes including double-bunking to bring the jail`s capacity to 354 beds.
But the actual number of available beds is 267 because of mandatory segregation of some prisoners based on age, gender and status of
incarceration. Doria said if they violated segregation rules they could accommodate 292 prisoners.
By the time the new jail opened, at 501 N. County Farm Rd. in Wheaton, the old jail was holding nearly 140. Officials were forced to defer jail terms of more than 100 men until the new jail opened.
In 1987, the County Board approved a population study by the National Institute of Corrections. Four months later, the old jail, which had been used for storage, was reopened for 78 work-release prisoners and prisoners awaiting court appearances.
Despite these measures, the new jail continued to overflow with an average daily population of 391 inmates.
When stricter drunk driving laws became effective Jan. 1, 1989, the county`s circuit court judges warned the county that overcrowding was inevitable. The warning prompted Doria to again urge the county to double the bed occupancy with an addition to the existing structure.
Doria said completion of the nearly $25 million expansion should coincide with construction of the county`s new $52 million courthouse in 1991. He added that the alternatives to incarceration, including work release may buy the county two years time.
Based on the report, released last year by the institute, the jail bedspace may need to increase 100 percent by 1993 and 200 percent by the year 2010. An additional 400-bed increase could be needed in 2020 or 2030, the report stated.
Du Page`s overcrowding situation is not unique. Counties throughout Illinois and the U.S. have been forced to used incarceration alternatives, build additional jails and expand new jails to accommodate the rapid offender growth. Based on the research of the sheriff`s office and county judges, overcrowding has resulted from:
– The new change in the law this year in which drunken driving offenders can be sentenced to jail or prison.
– An increased number of arrests, particularly in drug cases.
– More felonies resulting in a backlog in the courts.
– Tougher mandatory sentences making suspects reluctant to plead guilty.
Chief Judge Carl Henninger said the overcrowding is here to stay:
”I don`t see any downturn. We are still becoming urbanized. We are no longer an aggregate farming community. As such, we will continue to see problems related to urbanization. The numbers will continue to hit until we reach a plateau.”
Planning is the key to getting a handle on things, Henninger said.
”We need to continue to remain vigilant to what`s going on in the courts, law enforcement and corrections. We need to pay attention to trends and attempt to forcast the future based on what`s happening today.”
