By 25 News

MCLEAN COUNTY (25 News Now) – A local jail says it has too many mentally ill inmates and should not be there.

The McLean County Sheriff’s Office says the jail does not have the resources, as it’s left without help the state says it is supposed to provide.

In the past three months, eight correctional officers have been battered in the McLean County Jail. Seven of those attacks were by inmates who officials say are mentally ill.

“This is not necessarily the place for the mentally ill, it’s a stop along the way and we need to make it as short as possible and as effective as possible in order to get these folks some help,” said McLean County Sheriff Matthew Lane.

Sheriff Lane says after an inmate is sentenced to an Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) facility for treatment of a mental illness; they are supposed to be moved there within 20 days, but Lane says that has not been the case since the pandemic began.

Now, nine of their inmates are waiting for a bed at IDHS and one has been waiting since August.

“The State of Illinois is not meeting their obligation when it comes to taking these inmates,” said Lane.

While they wait at the jail, Lane says more than half of the time they receive additional charges. The sheriff says it’s part of a vicious cycle.

“Someone gets arrested, they’re mentally ill, when they get in here, we don’t always have the techniques or the knowledge to help them. Sometimes they get upset, they lash out and then there’s another charge they catch,” said Lane.

Most recently, Misti Martlett received three additional felony counts after allegedly kicking and punching jail staff.

“We don’t have doctors on staff, we don’t have a psychologist, we have corrections officers and some counselors who do an outstanding job,” said Lane.

The sheriff hopes things will change, but in the meantime, he plans to work with other community agencies to help the progressing issue.

“I think the state needs more mental health facilities opened up,” Lane continued, “I think the priorities of the state need to be on mental health care.”

IDHS provided the following statement:

“The Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) works as expeditiously as possible to admit individuals to our custody and ensure they receive the mental health services that they require. To meet the unprecedented demand for court-ordered mental health treatment IDHS has added numerous beds and increased capacity for community placement. Unfortunately, demand for these services continues to outpace the availability of placements, and paired with a nationwide shortage of mental health staff, this situation is straining the entire justice system and leaving individuals in need of mental health treatment waiting for care.

To address these challenges, IDHS hopes to work with our partners in the General Assembly on statutory changes that will ensure those most in need of care receive it as fast as possible and ensure that individuals do not remain in IDHS’ custody longer than their treatment requires. This would significantly help to ensure access to appropriate mental health services for justice-involved individuals and we would welcome the support of those at the local level who are also contending with these challenges. IDHS saw a 41% increase in referrals this year, and in October hit a record month for referrals.”