In 2016, the Illinois Department of Corrections reached a settlement agreeing to properly care for the needs of mentally ill inmates. The lawsuit was filed a decade ago on behalf of inmates claiming the lack of care in prisons qualified as cruel and unusual punishment.
But yesterday, a federal judge found the corrections department is still failing to meet those needs.
The original settlement had 25 provisions the corrections department needed to follow to provide proper care for the mentally ill. A report found they were noncompliant with 18 of those terms… and prisoners are “suffering immensely.”
Harold Hirshman is the lead counsel for the plaintiffs, who are current and former prisoners.
“It should be a priority because if we imprison these mentally ill people, when they come out, if they’re further damaged that’s not good for society.”
Of the roughly 40,000 inmates in Illinois prisons, around 12,000 are believed to be mentally ill. And as of this July, more than 900 of those inmates were housed in segregation.
In a statement, the corrections department says they are “disappointed by the court’s findings but remain committed to continuing to improve the quality of care for offenders on the mental health caseload.”
They have two weeks to provide an effective care plan.