Court Rejects Claim Of Improved Inmate Mental Health Care By Illinois Department Of Corrections

On May 25, 2018, a federal judge rejected the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) claim that it had improved inmate mental health care, as required by its settlement agreement in the class-action case, Rasho v. Baldwin. The judge recognized that inmates with mental illness remained untreated and undertreated, and refused to grant IDOC an open-ended time frame to come into compliance with the terms of the May 22, 2016 settlement.

The judge ordered IDOC to provide mental health treatment to inmates on “crisis watch” and in segregation, and to provide medication management, mental health evaluations, and necessary mental . . .