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The Highs and Lows of Mental Health Care Class Action Litigation in Illinois Prisons
Class Actions, Prisoners' Rights, Mental Health Teddy Basham-Witherington Class Actions, Prisoners' Rights, Mental Health Teddy Basham-Witherington

The Highs and Lows of Mental Health Care Class Action Litigation in Illinois Prisons

While some progress was made, Illinois Department of Corrections never came close to meeting the requirements of the settlement. It did not have enough staff. Too many people with mental illnesses remained in solitary, no meaningful treatment was provided to people on crisis watch, and it was never able to consistently provide the required out-of-cell time (among other failings). As the residential treatment units began to fill up, correctional treatment officers were no longer part of the mental health team. Many new supervisors, who were transferred from traditional maximum-security prisons, brought their punishment-based culture with them..

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