A federal judge has ordered the Illinois Department of Corrections to provide mental health to inmates on "crisis watches" in segregated cells.
U.S. District Court Judge Michael Mihm issued the order dated Friday. He says thousands of seriously mentally ill inmates are suffering "irreparable harm" by serving time in segregation for behavior problems often linked to their mental illness.
Mihm says the inmates are left "at the mercy of the IDOC to provide them with the constitutionally minimal level of health care" which is "simply not being done."
A Corrections spokeswoman did not immediately respond Monday to a request for comment.
IDOC and lawyers representing 12,000 mentally ill inmates settled a lawsuit in 2016. A court-appointed monitor last year declared IDOC's psychiatric care as "grossly insufficient" and "oftentimes dangerous."
