Inmate death prompts changes at DuPage County jail

New policies, individualized treatment plans, and added mental health staff are among some of the changes at the DuPage County jail since a 50-year-old woman was found unresponsive in her cell in 2023.

Representatives from the sheriff’s office recently outlined the changes after being asked to attend a DuPage County Board meeting.

In March, the county agreed to pay $11 million to the family of Reneyda Aguilar-Hurtado of Addison to settle a lawsuit claiming that jail medical personnel and corrections officers did not provide adequate medical and mental health care.

Officials from the sheriff’s office said those working the days leading up to the woman’s death were reprimanded or fired. The sheriff’s office also initiated several changes — including increasing the jail’s mental health staff from four to eight clinicians. However, a statewide shortage of mental health beds continues to present challenges, officials said.

“The circumstances were investigated and reviewed, and we have implemented several changes. But we continue to face significant challenges regarding the detainees with mental health conditions,” Undersheriff Eddie Moore told county board members on Tuesday, July 8. “Many of these challenges are beyond our control and hinder our ability to fully prevent incidents like the one we’re addressing right now.”

Moore was joined by other representatives, including Deputy Chief Tim Schoenberger, Corrections Bureau Chief Mark Garcia, and Health Services Administrator Stacey Keller.

Several board members expressed frustration that Sheriff James Mendrick, who is running for governor, was absent at Tuesday’s meeting and questioned why he did not attend.

“He is the elected official,” board member Mary FitzGerald Ozog said. “If we’re all going to talk about transparency in government, then the elected official needs to come before us and answer the questions that we have … the buck stops with the person who was elected.”

When asked about Mendrick’s whereabouts or his reason for not attending, Moore said he was simply unavailable.

“I report to the sheriff. The sheriff does not report to me,” Moore said. “He told me he was unavailable today.”

Moore and other jail representatives outlined key changes, including doubling mental health staff at the jail from four clinicians to eight. Moore added that the jail has added a step-down program to help detainees transition from the mental health ward to the general population when appropriate and that all detainees with mental health needs have individual treatment plans. He added that jail security-level supervisors can now initiate hospital transfers if needed.

One of the key concerns, however, remains the lack of available beds in state-run facilities for inmates with significant mental health needs and who are found unfit for trial.

Moore noted that transfers should occur within 30 days of detention. However, he said, that is often pushed out to as many as 60 or 90 days because of the lack of available beds.

Aguilar-Hurtado, who was arrested in March 2023 on a misdemeanor battery charge, had schizophrenia and was determined to be mentally unfit for trial.

“We were at our 63rd day with the person who died,” Moore said. “Not that that diffuses what happened, but we were beyond the scope. Our facility cannot handle mental health individuals of that nature.”

Jail officials said that inmates who are diagnosed with severe mental health needs and are housed in the mental health ward are seen at least three times a week by mental health staff. Those who are on a drug, alcohol, emotional or suicide watch are seen daily by mental health staff and three times a day by medical staff, Keller said.

Board members questioned how Aguilar-Hurtado’s health was allowed to deteriorate.

According to the lawsuit, nurses, a medical doctor, a psychiatrist and corrections officers did not provide her medical assistance even after seeing vomit containing blood, bleeding from her mouth, her being found several times sitting in her own blood, feces and vomit or having sacks of uneaten lunches in her cell.

According to the lawsuit, she also refused to eat or take psychotropic drugs.

The lawsuit also states that it took six weeks for a psychiatrist to see her and that she lost 60 pounds during her time in jail. By that June, she was too weak to walk on her own. A medical examiner found that Aguilar-Hurtado was dehydrated.

“No one who comes to our correctional facility should have a death sentence,” county board member Andrew Honig said.

Moore acknowledged that people did not do their jobs and noted that actions have been taken to discipline or terminate those involved. He added that he did not even know about the woman until after she died.

“Those things have now changed,” he said, pointing to new policies and procedures that have been put in place.

https://www.dailyherald.com/20250711/news/inmate-death-prompts-changes-at-dupage-county-jail/