What does a jail inmate do?

If an inmate at the McHenry County Jail is assaulted and/or battered by a corrections officer of the jail, what does the inmate do?

Granted, inmates do not want to be in jail. Corrections officers (jailers) sometimes have a hard time with inmates. It needs to be a safe environment - for the guards/jailers and for the inmates. Matters and conflicts are best kept at a low level.

Each needs to treat the other with respect. The jailers are not the ones who caused the inmate to be incarcerated, but they get the dirty job of carrying out a judge's orders.

So, that having been said, what happens when a conflict arises? when emotions escalate? when words are spoken or, worse, exchanged? "Control", obviously, must rest in the hands of the jailers - the corrections officers. They are (or should be) trained to handle situations that go from calm or tense or worse in seconds.

If respect is shown by both sides, I would guess that, generally, matters don't escalate. If an inmate should happen to give a jailer a "hard time", if he "earns" a restriction or segregation, I'd guess that the other inmates understand that. If an inmate is one who also has a mental health issue, the handling requires special attention.

But what if a particular jailer is the one who has the "attitude" and is the one on a "power trip". That needs to be quickly identified by the supervisors and corrected, or else the entire jail is going to experience problems. Do jailers have the right to bully inmates? Should they be allowed to make arbitrary or unfair demands on an inmate?

Inmates know they must comply, and they are often best advised to comply now, complain later. In other words, even if the order is unfair or even illegal, obey it now. Knuckle under. Bow down. Avoid discipline. And complain later in a reasonable, level-headed way. Understand the rules. Follow the rules.

What does an inmate do, if he complains and nothing happens? There is a grievance procedure at the McHenry County Jail. If an inmate registers a grievance (complaint), he knows what is to happen next. It is fair for him to know what the procedure is. If it's not followed, he knows what to do next. And what if he does that, and still nothing happens?

If an inmate is injured by a jailer, if the nurse provides treatment and documents it, if it's on videotape because of the security cameras, if there is a multitude of witnesses, and if the grievance is not addressed, what happens if the inmate requests to speak with a sergeant?

How many shifts and how many days should an inmate have to wait for the sergeant to respond? The jail is a 24/7 operation. When a sergeant is available, he should respond. The inmate should not have to wait for a sergeant, on the shift on which the incident occurred, to come on duty.

The McHenry County Jail has a set of standards - its Manual of Operations. The standards and professional accreditation are not from CALEA, but they are is from the American Correctional Association.

How well is the McHenry County Jail operating in the area of handling inmate complaints?