The Princeton, Ill., visitor website boasts about the community's history of standing up for freedom. The historic town, lined with antique shops and book stores, is home to the Lovejoy homestead, once a key stop along the Underground Railroad.
However, less than a five-minute walk down Main Street, sits Bureau County Jail, where one man said he was held for a week without his HIV medication.
In September 2010, police detained Arick Buckles in Bureau County jail on a 2003 warrant for forgery. Buckles spent two days in DuPage County Jail, awaiting transfer to Bureau County. In those two days, Buckles said, DuPage county physicians assured him that his records indicating that he needed HIV medication would transfer with him to Bureau County.
On Sept. 30, Buckles arrived at Bureau County Jail. His medicine, he said, did not.
"I personally informed every officer that came around," Buckles said, estimating that because officers checked on him three times daily, he told staff at least 21 times about his need for medication. Buckles also alleges that his partner, friends, medical providers, and even advocates at AIDS service organizations called in and faxed requests to the jail.
Buckles, who is an HIV/AIDS advocate in Chicago, said that multiple service agencies reached out to Bureau County Jail on his behalf and were told that the jail was looking into it.
Three days into his detention in Bureau County, and five days off his HIV regimen, Buckles said he was called to his bond hearing. There, he said, he told the judge that he had yet to receive medication and was again assured that the issue would, again, be looked into.
Four days passed. Buckles suffered from diarrhea, and he continued to ask for his HIV medication. Finally, he said, officers told him that his medication would not be provided because it was too costly. Buckles alleges that officers released him rather than foot the bill for his drugs.
In total, he said, he went nine days without medical care.
In addition, when Buckles was released, he found his belongings had been bagged and labeled "HIV-positive." He said those bags were left in the open, where other detainees could see them.
"My clothes were on top of a locker with 'HIV-positive Arick Buckles' [ written ] ," Buckles said.
He accepted a plea deal for the forgery charge and paid the court fees. Then, he went to the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois ( ACLU ) with his story.
The ACLU sent a letter on behalf of Buckles June 20, to Bureau County Sheriff John Thompson, calling for reforms at the jail. John Knight, the ACLU attorney representing Buckles, said the ACLU might file suit if the jail does not remedy the situation.
"This is a serious public health concern," Knight said.
In the letter to Thompson, Knight alleges that the jail violated Buckles' right to medical care and privacy. He adds that staff demonstrated a "frightening lack of understanding of the modes of HIV transmission" by bagging and branding his clothing with his HIV status.
While Knight also filed a letter of complaint with the Illinois Department of Corrections, Buckles said he is not yet seeking legal recourse. He wants the jail to amend its policies and train its staff.
"I was simply hurt," he said. "I was frustrated. I didn't want anyone else faced with a similar situation."
As of publication, Thompson had not responded to requests for comment.
