Late last week Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell filed suit in Sangamon County Court in regards to the Department of Human Services not taking custody of inmates found unfit to stand trial by Sangamon County Judges. Sangamon County State’s Attorney Dan Wright represents the Sheriff in these cases.
Named as defendants in the suit are Governor Pritzker and Grace Hou, Secretary of the Illinois Department of Human Services. (DHS)
Sheriff Campbell contends that DHS must pick up inmates that have been declared “unfit” within 20 days of adjudication. “For years, DHS has failed to abide by their statutory responsibilities in regards to this. But during the pandemic, the number of these inmates and the length of time they remained in our custody has increased. Despite reduced cases of Covid 19, DHS continues to fail these inmates,” Campbell stated. “Our jail is not a mental health facility, it is a detention facility. We do not have the staffing, nor expertise to provide the level of care these inmates need. DHS does.”