KNOX COUNTY, Ill. — The Knox County State's Attorney is filing contempt petitions against the Illinois Department of Human Services for mentally unfit inmates who have yet to be transferred, similar to a motion in Rock Island County last month for the same issue.
State's Attorney Jeremy Karlin filed the petitions with the courts this week, looking to hold DHS in contempt for failing to transport inmates deemed unfit for trial to mental health facilities.
The motion mirrors a move made by RICO State's Attorney Dora Villareal on June 17 that alleges the exact same occurrence.
Karlin says that DHS deemed three Knox County defendants unfit for trial, evaluated them, and found them suitable for treatment at McFarland Mental Health Hospital, and adds that some of them have been waiting to be transferred for more than 100 days.
After the petitions were filed, Associate Circuit Judge Curtis Lane ordered Illinois DHS Secretary Grace B. Hou to appear in court on July 27 to argue why she should not be held in contempt for failing to obey the transport orders.
One inmate was reportedly transported to McFarland after the filing and court orders.
Karlin issued a statement on the situation, saying:
“The duty of the Knox County State’s Attorney’s Office is to ensure the administration of justice in all aspects of each case. The people of Knox County, our jail staff, and most importantly these individuals, are being denied justice due to the backlog of transfers to DHS facilities. It is unfair to expect correctional staff to provide much-needed mental health services to people in need. DHS has allowed these human beings to languish in jail without treatment, and significantly deteriorate due to the lack of DHS transport. It is a disservice to the people in need of mental health care, the victims in these cases who must wait for resolution, jail staff whose own safety is jeopardized, and the taxpayers who should rightfully expect state agencies to comply with their duties in a timely manner.”
