Illinois’ largest facility for mentally ill inmates to open in Joliet

Officials from the Illinois Department of Corrections unveiled Thursday what will become the largest facility for mentally ill inmates in the state.

What was once the Illinois Youth Center prison in Joliet had been transformed into a mental health treatment facility for male inmates with severe mental health issues. This will be the largest facility of its kind and will be accepting resident

s by the end of the year. According to officials, the renovation project cost approximately $17 million.

This facility, and other ones like it across the state, will be addressing issues stemming from a 2007 lawsuit concerning mentally ill inmates and their treatment. The lawsuit was settled in 2015, leading to the creation of facilities specifically for the mentally ill across Illinois. Similar residential treatment facilities will be opening up in Dixon, Pontiac and Logan prisons for those inmates with less severe needs. The department will also be operating two buildings at the Elgin Mental Health Center for inmates of all genders who need hospital care.

Before the creation of these facilities, the state’s 10,000 to 12,000 mentally ill inmates were assigned to special treatment in the facilities they resided. However, there were no distinct designated areas of the prisons to address their unique needs.

During an open house on Thursday at the Joliet Treatment Center, Illinois Department of Corrections Director John Baldwin said, "Nobody ever thought we'd become the state's mental health system but we are, and it's time we started acting like it.”

Officials stated that everything at this new facility, which has space for nearly 500 inmates, will be focused on treatment. The center will ideally be used as a stepping stone for the inmates so that they can eventually move back into regular prisons or back into the community once their terms are up. The facility will have areas for inmates that required heavier treatment and supervision as well as less restrictive areas for inmates that have progressed significantly in their treatment.