Sheriffs are still struggling to transfer convicted felons out of county jails and into the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) prisons where the criminals are supposed to be serving their sentences.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Pritzker’s administration halted these types of transfers to help stop the spread of the disease in the prison system. In July 2020, however, the Governor issued a new executive order authorizing IDOC to resume the transfers.

According to numerous county sheriffs, however, IDOC is still delaying and dragging their feet on processing many transfers. Unfortunately, most county jails aren’t equipped or staffed to hold large numbers of state inmates indefinitely.

The Illinois General Assembly appropriated $50 million to help counties cover the costs, but there is uncertainty over whether that is enough to cover the actual costs, and how the funding will be distributed.