Illinois prisoners to get $80 million mental health boost

Illinois is set to spend $80 million on providing mental health services for 11,000 prisoners at four facilities in the state.

The money will be split in half—$40 million to pay for new facilities and $40 million for clinical and security staff, according to Think Progress.

The money is coming from the settlement of a class action lawsuit filed by prisoners who felt their mental health was poorly managed with “arbitrary” and “haphazard” standards that saw unreliable medication distribution and left some prisoners in solitary confinement instead of treatment.

Check out the story at Think Progress to read more about the new plan.