May 09--Cook County Jail was placed on lockdown Sunday, limiting the movement of inmates, because almost twice as many workers were absent as on a usual evening shift, a jail spokeswoman said.
Of the approximately 640 workers scheduled for the 3 to 11 p.m. shift, 133 called in, 75 percent more than usually do -- and an absentee rate of almost 21 percent, said Cara Smith, a spokeswoman for the Cook County sheriff's office.
"Due to excessive call-offs, we have put the jail on a limited movement lockdown that we hope to lift as early as this evening," Smith said in an email Sunday afternoon. "We suspect the call-offs are the result of Mother's Day and while we wish all our staff could spend this day with their loved ones, we have to run this jail and keep our staff and detainees safe."
Jail inmates were still being allowed visitors and taken for any medical appointments or issues, but recreation and other programs for jail inmates were canceled for the day, Smith said.
Lockdowns such as the one on Sunday affect all sections of the jail, which houses about 8,500 people either awaiting trial or serving short-term jail sentences.
