Judge: Mentally ill inmates' care burdens Illinois jails

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (AP) - A judge in central Illinois says delays in placing mentally ill inmates in state hospitals shift the burden for their care to county jails and deny defendants their right to a timely psychiatric evaluation.

McLean County Judge Scott Drazewski made the comments during a hearing for Anita Jumper. The 58-year-old has been in jail for a month awaiting a bed at Springfield's McFarland Mental Health Center, the Pantagraph (http://bit.ly/2oVCTYi ) reported.

Jumper was found not guilty by reason of insanity on Feb. 28 in the 2015 arson of her Bloomington apartment. Illinois law requires that she be transferred to McFarland for an evaluation that will be used to develop a treatment plan for her.

During the hearing Monday defense lawyer Jennifer Patton told Drazewski that the Illinois Department of Human Services had asked for an extension of its 30-day deadline to submit a report on Jumper's treatment.

Drazewski said he recently received a similar request for an extension in another case. The judge said longer waits in jail aren't in compliance with Illinois law.

"Something needs to occur so the rights of the individuals under the statutes are being afforded to them," he said.

Drazewski said the flexibility to postpone compliance with the requirements of the law isn't always offered to county jails. He cited notices that the state human services department sends to the county when an inmate has finished treatment and needs to be returned to jail.

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Information from: The Pantagraph, http://www.pantagraph.com