(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Illinois government is being sued by several county sheriffs over what they say are long delays in the transfer of some county jail detainees to state custody.
Jim Kaitschuk, executive director of the Illinois Sheriffs Association, said the Illinois Department of Human Services is supposed to take custody of criminal defendants within 20 days when a county judge orders a mental health evaluation.
In many cases, he said, those transfers are delayed by weeks or months.
County jails are not equipped to handle detainees with mental health issues on a long-term basis, Kaitschuk said.
While the sheriffs of Knox, Madison, Rock Island, Macon, McLean and Sangamon counties are suing the state to end the transfer delays, Kaitschuk says the problem is statewide.
Related
