A correctional officer who works in the Cook County Jail has tested positive for COVID-19, prompting additional calls for the mass release of some detainees by activists who want to prevent an outbreak within the jail.

“Everyone deserves to be protected, especially during these uncertain times, and we are obligated to ensure all members of our community feel safe, including those behind bars,” said Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx.

The Sheriff’s Department says it has placed a “high priority” on reducing the number of nonviolent, low-level offenders in its custody, particularly those who are at an increased risk of the new coronavirus.

If you needed to build a business, how quickly could you pull together a plan? What if you had to do it without access to the internet? These men did just that – in an atypical setting. Here’s how.

Leticia Ruiz says the Cook County sheriff failed to protect her son from a reputed gang member who allegedly beat him to death inside the jail earlier this month, and that the “vicious and violent” beating was avoidable.

A small group of detainees are learning how to make biodiesel fuel from reclaimed cooking oil. Hundreds of gallons have so far been produced – and thousands of dollars saved – but officials also tout the program’s rehabilitative value.

Behind barbed wire fences, Cook County Jail inmates grow vegetables, flowers, herbs, and – as of May – they’re harvesting honey from two beehives provided by a former inmate.

Last year, about 5,400 detainees at Cook County Jail received treatment for opioid use – an average of 375-400 each month. The county will be able to expand its services for opioid use disorder, thanks to a new grant. 

“Doing what was done to these kids is just not something you’re supposed to do to kids in a juvenile detention setting,” an attorney for the juveniles said Monday.

The suspended Chicago police officer, who was convicted last week in the shooting death of Laquan McDonald, is being sent to Rock Island County Jail nearly three hours away.

Cook County Jail officials say the Chicago cop recently convicted of second-degree murder is being housed in a single cell and closely monitored for his safety and security.

Cook County Jail detainees will train dogs from the city shelter as part of a new program aimed at preparing for adoption larger dogs that often struggle to find permanent homes.

“This crisis touches the lives of so many – almost everyone knows someone struggling with an opioid addiction,” said Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart. “I hope this podcast opens eyes and minds to how easily an opioid addiction can happen and how hard it can be to stop.”

Inside the Cook County jail is a full-fledged medical center that treats every one of the 6,000-7,000 detainees housed there on a daily basis. We get an exclusive tour. 

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart drew national attention when he appointed a psychologist to be the jail’s executive director. After almost three years on the job, Nneka Jones Tapia is moving on. 

A new bill would turn Cook County Jail into a temporary polling site and require that jails across the state provide detainees with voter registration applications.