The Illinois Department of Corrections hasn’t been quick to correct one of its own problems.

Two months ago, Shaw Media reporters wrote about county jails holding inmates who had been sentenced to state custody. IDOC wasn’t accepting the transfers, as is required, and counties were bearing the upfront costs of detention, including some significant medical expenses.

Over the weekend, other outlets covered the backlog, which isn’t improving despite IDOC Director Rob Jeffreys’ early April remarks regarding a sharp decrease in the state’s prison population, reaching its lowest level since 1991.

Part of the problem is COVID-19 mitigation. In its June newsletter, IDOC reported that 41% of staff and 69% of inmates were fully vaccinated. According to a slide from a May 17 Illinois Department of Public Health meeting, the raw numbers are 4,300 inoculated staff members and 18,900 detainees spread across the state’s 35 prison facilities.

On Monday, the IDPH reported administering more than 12.5 million vaccine doses statewide, with 53.1% of the 12-and-older population fully vaccinated and 68.8% having at least one dose. That corrections staff is lagging down at 41% is a significant problem for the agency, although county-level jail staff data isn’t readily available for comparison.

The state said challenges in keeping vaccinations on pace with the general population included “large prisons located in remote rural areas” and “logistical challenges to efficiently provide vaccinations,” but that was six weeks ago, and the fact that the inmate numbers track significantly better than staff points to this being a matter of employee choice, not availability.

Ultimately, this situation represents resource shifting, where the state forces counties to pay for people in its care and hope they’ll eventually be made whole financially, but that’s little consolation while local government officials continue to struggle with staffing and budgets – to say nothing of the impact on the sentenced people and their families.

Even if the state eventually comes through financially, that doesn’t compensate for the human cost, nor does it represent anything approaching efficiency or simply living up to statutory obligations. What will it take to get people where they belong?

Culinary checklist update: I’ve invited readers to share favorite menu items from Illinois restaurants to create a collaborative “must-eat” list for summer road trips. Today’s come from a Facebook friend who lives in Ames, Iowa, but knows where to dine when he crosses the border: “Moo Krob Gra Pow at LemonGrass is Moline. Probably the best Thai dish I’ve ever had, and I’ve had Thai food in L.A. and Vancouver, which are generally distinguished as the best Thai food places in this hemisphere.” Farther north, he also recommends the Country Benedict at Otto’s Place in Galena. Share your favorites via email or social media.

• Scott T. Holland writes about state government issues for Shaw Media. Follow him on Twitter @sth749. He can be reached at sholland@shawmedia.com.