The Choate Developmental Center will be repurposed and conditions will be improved in partnership with Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. | Wikimedia Commons
The Choate Developmental Center will be repurposed and conditions will be improved in partnership with Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. | Wikimedia Commons
Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) is aiming to improve conditions at the Choate Developmental Center in Anna, following reports of abuse, neglect and mistreatment of residents at the downstate facility.
According to the Chicago Tribune, ProPublica, Capitol News Illinois and Lee Enterprises conducted an investigation. Their findings revealed that Illinois State Police made 40 criminal probes over the past decade related to employee misconduct at the Choate facility. Employees were criminally charged on allegations such as physically beating residents and forcing a resident to drink a cup of hot sauce.
Therefore, Pritzker has developed a plan to repurpose the Choate Developmental Center.
In partnership with the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, they transform the facility over a three-year span. The administration has explained its intention “to pursue opportunities for community-based living while continuing to invest in provider capacity.”
Pritzker's office staff reported that there are 270 residents at the state-run Choate facility. With his plan, all residents can “transition into community-based settings” or other state-run facilities to receive care.
“The transformation at Choate moves Illinois in closer alignment with nationwide, research-informed best practices, advances the state’s commitment to equity and the civil rights of people with disabilities,” Pritzker’s office said. "It also reflects the state’s legal duty to ensure residents with disabilities have a full opportunity to live in the least-restrictive environment of their choosing.”
The Illinois Department of Human Services is currently in charge of running Choate, and it hasn't specified how many residents will be moved into other living arrangements, but changes are definitely coming in the next three years, according to The Chicago Tribune.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois called Pritzker’s plan “a good first step” but also noted that the ACLU is hoping to have all of Illinois' state-run developmental centers closed. Pritzker's record on state service agencies has been criticized during his administration, according to The Chicago Tribune.
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