|
|
Article: State mental-patient discharges ruled legal
- Article from:
- Chicago Sun-Times
- Article date:
- October 1, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 1996 Chicago Sun-Times. (Hide copyright information)
|
A lawsuit that accuses the state of discharging patients from
state mental hospitals to substandard private facilities or to the
street describes appalling, but not illegal, behavior, a federal
judge ruled Monday.
The ruling from U.S. District Judge James Alesia came in a
lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union alleging poor
treatment in the state mental health system. As part of the suit,
the ACLU argued the state discharges patients to inappropriate or
inadequate private facilities, regardless of their needs, and
sometimes refuses to admit patients.
The state sought the dismissal of that part of the suit, arguing
that even if the allegations are true - and it vehemently ...