mental health in prisons

Some state lawmakers are saying public safety issues can be attributed to a lack of support for police and bills which they say make their jobs more difficult. Republican state Rep. Dennis Tipsword of Metamora held a news conference with other lawmakers to announce initiatives to address public safety.

More than 70% of prisoners suffer from either a mental health condition or a substance use disorder, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

An independent expert who has monitored the mental health care was terminated reducing the transparency around an often failing system.

A $15 million fine, plus weekly fines of $1 million, should be levied against the Illinois Department of Corrections for its failure to provide adequate…