Sheriff details jail operations, mental‑health pilot, extraditions and intersection safety concerns

Sheriff told the county Criminal Justice Committee on Sept. 10 that Kankakee County has stabilized at roughly 140 inmates housed for the U.S. Marshals and credited a state mental‑health pilot with helping with care and reimbursement for psychiatric treatment.

The update matters because housing federal inmates and mental‑health transports affect county jail revenue and operating costs, while state law changes and lengthy extraditions are straining the sheriff’s budget and staff resources.

The sheriff said the county has “been right around 140 from the U.S. Marshals.” He told the committee that a mental‑health pilot that started in March 2023 provides state reimbursement for medical and psychiatric treatment for inmates, including those received from other counties. “It’s been a plus in the battle against all these mental health issues,” he said.

He described a recurring budget pressure tied to state policy he called the “safety act,” which, he said, leads to many warrant arrests being released quickly. In August the sheriff reported 148 warrant arrests; 142 were released the next day, a 96% release rate within 24 hours. That pattern, he said, forces the sheriff’s office and other county offices to weigh travel and custody costs when deciding whether to pursue out‑of‑county arrests.

The sheriff described lengthy or costly extraditions as another drain on the budget. He said the county paid an extradition company $3,100 to bring a person arrested in Texas on aggravated‑battery and related warrants; that individual appeared in court and was released. “So that’s where the money in my budget’s going,” he said.

The sheriff also raised public‑safety concerns about a dangerous intersection on Route 50 and said state transportation action is likely to take two to three years; he said he is pursuing follow‑up calls with IDOT and state legislators. He told the committee that outside elected officials had taken up the matter because the county’s own representatives, in his view, had not.

On jail programs and care, the sheriff highlighted that the jail continues GED and drug‑counseling classes and that the facility handled 590 video or phone legal visits in the reporting month. He announced that the jail’s medical department was reaccredited by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care, and praised medical staff including “doctor Long and our director of nursing, Liz DeLong.” “Anybody who tells you that they don’t get medical care, while they’re in our custody is a liar,” he said.

Committee members approved the sheriff’s monthly report and later voted to declare several older county vehicles surplus to be traded in; the surplus motion was moved by Doctor Nims and seconded by Mister Crutcher and carried. The sheriff said he will return next month with further updates.

Less critical details: the sheriff provided packet pages showing transports, warrants given notice to appear, and a list of hundreds of attorney contacts and video calls to illustrate jail workload and operational scope.