DuPage County under-sheriff details mental-health staffing increases after jail death; board presses for sheriff to appear

Under Sheriff Eddie Moore told the DuPage County Board on April 8 that the DuPage County Correctional Facility has nearly doubled its mental‑health staff and implemented new procedures following the death of an inmate in mid‑2023.

The change comes after a string of four deaths in a three‑month period in 2023, Moore said, and a later settlement that the board authorized for $11,000,000. Moore said, “The number of mental health staff has nearly doubled to enhance care and oversight.” He described a new “mental health step down program,” individual treatment plans for detainees with mental‑health needs, and new authority for security supervisors to initiate hospital transfers in addition to medical staff.

Board members said the changes are a step forward but asked for clearer accountability and for the elected sheriff to appear before the board. Chair Deborah A. Conroy and several members said Sheriff Mendrick, the elected official ultimately responsible for the sheriff’s office, was invited but did not attend; Conroy said, “We appreciate you being here, Under Sheriff, very much. But I think we all know at the end of the day, the person who is responsible for this is the sheriff, and unfortunately, he's not willing to come and talk to us.”

Why it matters: County leaders and the public raised questions about how detention facilities manage people with severe mental illness, how long state agencies take to accept custody, and whether internal changes are sufficient to prevent future tragedies. Several…