Champaign County Jail updated the way it documents, tracks and reports use of restraint chairs after an Illinois Answers Project investigation raised questions about the facility’s record-keeping practices and failure to report incidents to a state oversight unit.
Statewide Investigations
Posted inStatewide Investigations
People were Strapped to Chairs for Hours, Days at Madison County Jail. Many were Mentally Ill or in Withdrawal.
Of all Illinois jails, Madison County has the most incidents of restraint lasting longer than 10 hours–the upper limit set by the chair manufacturer. The jail said they’re not equipped to care for so many mentally ill detainees.
Posted inUpdates
Our “Strapped Down” series on restraint chairs in Illinois is now a zine
We spent months looking into the use of restraint chairs in Illinois. You can now read about our findings and more resources in our zine.
Posted inStatewide Investigations
He Attempted Suicide. Peoria Jail Restrained Him in a Chair for Five Days.
Peoria County Jail, in recent years, has restrained its charges for longer durations than other jails in the state and far past industry recommendations.
Posted inInvestigating Responses
A Mentally Ill Man was Restrained in a Chair for 68 hours at Franklin County Jail, Violating Policies, Report says
One man was restrained for 68 hours, another for 27 hours. Both were mentally ill. The jail’s own policies say restraint should never last more than 10 hours.
An Illinois disability rights watchdog group says the jail violated both its own policies and state standards.
Posted inStatewide Investigations
Most Illinois jails restrain people in chairs. This county ‘violently shocked’ them, too.
A few years ago, Coles County Jail promised to stop using electrified “stun cuffs” to shock people restrained in chairs. How much has changed?
Posted inStatewide Investigations
The U.N. Calls Restraint Chairs Torture. Illinois Jails Use Them Every Day.
The Illinois Answers Project found jail staff are restraining people in chairs in ways that often violate policies and last longer than recommended by manufacturers.
Posted inCriminal Justice & Public Safety
Dad Found Guilty in Abuse Death of 8-year-old Peoria Boy Navin Jones
A Peoria jury convicted Brandon Walker of murder in a trial that highlighted the failures of DCFS to remove 8-year-old Navin Jones from his parents’ care.
