SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Some sheriffs and State’s Attorneys in Illinois are declaring a victory, now that inmates with mental health issues will be transferred from county jails to Illinois Department of Human Services treatment facilities.
The officials, including in Knox and McLean Counties in the area, filed suit in Sangamon County seeking to have the transfer orders enforced, invalidating executive orders signed during the pandemic ordering the inmates to not be moved.
A judge has since issued a temporary restraining order.
In a related matter, Knox County State’s Attorney Jeremy Karlin, who filed a separate suit in that county, had a judge order IDHS Secretary Grace Hou to show up in court Thursday to explain herself, but the request became moot when five inmates were finally allowed to be moved.
