Articles by Kelly Virella

Taser Timeout

Loaded on Dec. 15, 2010 by Kelly Virella published in Prison Legal News December, 2010, page 34

Filed under: Jail Misconduct, Gang Policies, Excessive Force, Stun Guns/Tasers, Restraints, Failure to Train/Supervise. Location: Illinois.

In 2005, the sheriff of Kankakee County, Illinois discovered the alchemy necessary to turn the financial burden of operating jails into a financial boon. He rented to other agencies—including Cook County Jail—as many of his 668 beds as possible.

Running a jail—particularly, leasing the beds—is dangerous work. Jails are war ...

Releasing The Disease: Is Overcrowded Cook County Jail Responsible For The Rise Of MRSA On The Outside?

Loaded on April 15, 2009 by Kelly Virella published in Prison Legal News April, 2009, page 18

Filed under: Cermak Health Services, Skin, Contagious Disease -- Misc., Conditions of Confinement, Overcrowding, Sanitation. Location: Illinois.

Releasing The Disease: Is Overcrowded Cook County Jail Responsible For The Rise Of MRSA On The Outside?

by Kelly Virella

The sudden death of a 17-month-old boy in Hyde Park brought Dr. Robert Daum to the Cook County Jail. Out of town the April morning in 2004 when Simon Sparrow ...