NPR Illinois — Jail and Prison Conditions — Galsworthy Criminal Justice Reform Program

Jail and Prison Conditions

Even if an inmate's sentence is not oppressively long, their treatment while incarcerated can still constitute subhuman treatment. Prisons are not medical facilities, but they regularly are forced to deal with mental health problems and care for elderly and terminally ill inmates. Food, if it's even edible, usually lacks enough nutrition for inmates' health to not deteriorate. Plus, with a lack of opportunities to see family, read, or gain skill sets, inmates are placed in buildings which lack any resemblance of the civilized world.

Judge Rules Illinois Prisons Still Not Properly Caring For Mentally Ill Inmates

“The original settlement had 25 provisions the corrections department needed to follow to provide proper care for the mentally ill. It included allowing eight hours of out-of-cell time each week to those in solitary confinement and enhanced treatment for the actively suicidal. A June report by an independent court-appointed monitor, Dr. Pablo Stewart, found the department was noncompliant with 18 of those terms. Stewart testified that mentally ill prisoners in solitary confinement were ‘suffering immensely’.“

NPR Illinois

October 31, 2018

Mental HealthPhillip ReevesOctober 31, 2018NPR Illinois, IllinoisComment

Illinois Settles Lawsuit Over Deaf Prisoners

"Taylor estimates there could be 300 prisoners affected by the settlement, but he doesn't know exactly how many Illinois inmates are deaf. He says part of the problem is that until now, the Department of Corrections has not had to screen people for hearing loss."

NPR Illinois

July 25, 2018

Jail & Prison ConditionsAnthony BradleyJuly 29, 2018NPR Illinois, NPR, Illinois

Jail and Prison Conditions

Galsworthy CJR Program

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