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State officials ordered to hearing on mental health in prisons

Pantagraph (Bloomington, IL) - 12/9/2014

Dec. 09--PEORIA -- High-level decision makers in state government will be among those attending a March federal court hearing on Illinois Department of Corrections plans to improve mental health services in prisons.

U.S. District Court Judge Michael Mihm has ordered "the governor of the state of Illinois, the director of IDOC, the direction of human services and the director of Central Management Services" or their high-level representatives to attend a March 20 hearing to finalize a settlement in a 2007 lawsuit filed on behalf of mentally ill inmates.

The mandate for state officials to appear in court follows two days of negotiations in November between lawyers for IDOC and inmates who allege that mental health treatment in state prisons is inadequate and far below constitutional standards.

Mihm noted that the talks produced "substantial progress" toward a settlement.

But the judge also noted that two major issues remain unresolved: the construction of inpatient beds and the care of mentally ill inmates housed in segregation units.

In October, the state filed a plan to create four treatment units that would provide a hospital setting for mentally ill inmates -- an option the state does not currently have. The state proposes to renovate facilities at its Dixon, Pontiac and Logan correctional facilities to house 900 seriously mentally ill prisoners.

With plans to reopen the former Joliet youth home in 2016 as a mental health campus, the state would have 1,235 beds available. The massive overhaul to what both sides agree is a mental system in need of improvement comes with cost estimates of $29 million for construction and $62 million in staffing and operational expenses.

Mihm's order will bring together the high-level state officials who have a say in how funding from the cash-strapped state will be put together for the prison upgrades. Gov.-elect Bruce Rauner and his administration will address what IDOC has called the biggest issue facing the state's prison system.

Work has begun on the new units, IDOC spokesman Tom Shaer said Monday.

An estimated $18 million needed to cover increased staffing and operational costs is included in the FY 2016 budget. The overall costs for mental health upgrades will be spread over several years, with an annual operating budget developed to sustain the new facilities, said Shaer.

At a September hearing, Mihm expressed frustration with the state's progress in complying with an initial agreement that included the hiring of additional staff and monitoring of mentally ill inmates in segregation -- including some housed in solitary conditions for years.

The state responded that qualified applicants have been hard to find for the positions in prison and agreed to beef up its recruitment efforts to fill vacant mental health positions.

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