SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) – Illinois’ top corrections official says an overhaul has begun of prison mental health programs following a settlement in a class-action lawsuit.
Illinois Department of Corrections Director John Baldwin tells The (Bloomington) Pantagraph he wants the state to be a national model. Baldwin says Gov. Bruce Rauner is committed to making funding available.
The agreement in a 2007 class-action lawsuit calls for new treatment units at the Logan, Pontiac and Dixon prisons as well as in Joliet. The cost has been estimated at $90 million, including staffing. U.S. District Judge Michael Mihm approved the settlement earlier this month.
Jennifer Vollen-Katz of the John Howard Association, a Chicago group monitoring Illinois prisons, says she is pleased with the priority Baldwin has placed on mental health since his appointment in August.
Source: www.washingtontimes.com
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