Jacksonville Correctional Center Numbers Continue to Rise

By Benjamin Cox on September 3, 2020 at 5:15pm

Jacksonville Correctional Center inmate COVID-19 continue to substantially rise. 32 more inmates were confirmed to be positive with the virus today by the Morgan County Health Department.

In communication with the Illinois Department of Corrections Public Information Officer Lindsey Hess today, she says that the facility has implemented FEMA’s National Incident Command System model to respond to the outbreak. She says that the living units at the facility are a dorm setting comprised of 5 twenty-man open bay rooms per wing. There are 2 wings per housing unit with one common area per wing for showers, a bathroom, and a phone and dayroom. Inmates sleep in bunk beds. Further questions about testing of employees as well as other practices have not been returned.

According to the Daily update from the Morgan County Health Department today, 216 inmates and 14 staff have tested positive for the virus. According to IDOC’s COVID-19 tracking website, 183 inmates and 26 staff have tested positive for the virus. IDOC’s website lists 73 inmates and 21 staff have recovered from the virus.

The Jacksonville facility is second only to Stateville Prison in number of cases of the virus in the Department of Corrections.