Discuss Mentally ill inmates.
A large majority of inmates in jails and prisons suffer from mental illness. In Rasho v. Walker, 376 F. Supp.3d 888 (C.D. Ill 2019), a consent decree was entered regarding mental health care. The court found that deliberate indifference to serious medical needs of prisoners constitutes the “unnecessary and wanton infliction of pain” proscribed by the 8th Amendment. The court held that IDOC was deliberately indifferent to the plaintiff’s medical needs in medication management, mental health treatment in segregation, mental health treatment on crisis watch, mental health evaluations, and mental health treatment plans. IDOC has attempted to address these issues through staff training and the use of overtime to increase staff levels. Is this an effective use of resources? Why or why not?
