The Latest Breaking News from Cook County Jail

Deaths At Chicago Prison Show That Soaked Papers Are A Previously Unheard Form of Drug Smuggling: Report

A string of deaths at Chicago's Cook County Jail were found to be tied to an unlikely source: paper.

International Business Times · Apr 6

Inmate found dead in Cook County Jail cell

Michael O’Connor, 33, was found unresponsive in the Residential Treatment Unit of Cook County Jail about 4:25 p.m. Tuesday. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Chicago Sun-Times · Dec 27, 2023

Former CPS teacher continued to sexually abuse students after suspension, suit alleges

Attorneys for two families say they were not notified that elementary teacher Andrew Castro had been removed from teaching in May 2021 over abuse allegations and that he continued abusing three boys outside school.

Chicago Sun-Times · Dec 12, 2023

Inmate beaten to death in Cook County Jail

Johnny Hendrix, 29, of Rockford was in a fight with another inmate Tuesday and received lifesaving measures from the jail staff before dying at Mount Sinai Hospital, authorities say.

Chicago Sun-Times · Aug 9, 2023

‘We killed more of them than they killed of us’: Closing arguments begin in federal racketeering trial of Chicago’s Goonie gang involving 10 slayings

CHICAGO — Over the past five weeks, a federal jury has been immersed in a small section of Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood, where prosecutors say a close-knit street gang named the Goonies acted as “urban hunters,” terrorizing residents and ruling its territory through an unrelenting wave of gun violence.

Chicago Tribune · Jun 21, 2023

Cook County Jail’s paper ban infringes on intellectual freedom

The jail’s concern about drugs embedded in paper is understandable, but the ban on paper products is a ban on education, expression and exploration by those being held in jail, two university students write.

Chicago Sun-Times · May 21, 2023

Video appears to contradict charge of battery filed against a Cook County Jail detainee

In an Oct. 25 scuffle, a sergeant claimed a detainee in a wheelchair tried to break his wrist using handcuffs. Body cam videos don’t back that up.

Chicago Sun-Times · Apr 30, 2023

Cook County Jail officer charged with aggravated battery of detainee

Reginald Roberson is accused of placing handcuffs over his knuckles and striking an inmate multiple times in the jail on Dec. 29, 2021.

Chicago Sun-Times · Apr 20, 2023

As Chicago's most active voting precinct, Cook County inmates vote with help from jail and advocates

CHICAGO — Chicago’s most active voting precinct has an unlikely cornerstone. A big chunk of its voters don’t cast ballots at an elementary school gym or a library — they vote from jail.

Chicago Tribune · Apr 3, 2023

Man dies at Cook County Jail less than a day after being booked

Foul play was not suspected. It was the second inmate death at the jail within two days.

Chicago Sun-Times · Mar 4, 2023