Sheriffs around Illinois are denouncing Governor JB Pritzker’s move to extend an executive order related to mentally ill county jail inmates.
The new order renews the suspension of the state’s requirement to find psychiatric beds for inmates within 20 days after they’re found mentally unfit to stand trial. Pritzker issued that order this week… even as his Department of Human Services is in a court battle with Sangamon County over routinely failing to find suitable treatment beds for inmates within that 20-day timeframe. The Illinois Sheriffs’ Association says the move is adding to the financial strain on county jails and jeopardizing the safety of jail inmates and staff.
It says it’s time for the state to stop shirking its duties and “dumping its responsibilities” onto county sheriffs.
