State cutbacks unjustly forced numerous youth into locked psych wards, causing many to relapse and costing Illinois millions of dollars
Acting Cook County Public Guardian Leads Class Action Suit Against DCFS
CHICAGO – The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) today was hit with a federal class action lawsuit for locking youth in psychiatric hospitals “long past the time that their treatment required them to be confined… Upon being medically cleared for discharge, instead of going to an appropriate facility, the Defendants forced the children to remain in locked psychiatric wards, causing immense harm.”
While locked up, the children received no formal education, were largely kept indoors, and had little if any opportunity to interact with family members and friends. The prolonged confinement is detrimental to kids’ mental health, making them feel like they have been abandoned while subjecting them to dangerous and frightening conditions.
“The first rule of health care is ‘do no harm,’ yet the State of Illinois and its child welfare agency have made a mockery of that precept,” said Charles Golbert, acting Cook County Public Guardian and leader of the class action suit. “The harm to these youth that DCFS is committing by locking them up long after they’ve completed their courses of treatment is incalculable. It’s an abject moral and human rights failure.”
Today’s suit charges not only that state officials have known of the problem for decades, but have actively worsened it by repeatedly cutting budgets for appropriate treatment facilities and foster homes. Tragically, this practice not only violates vulnerable children’s rights, it also costs Illinois millions of dollars – every month DCFS is wasting over $125,000 to lock children in psychiatric wards where they are not supposed to be.
Since the 1980s, Golbert and every one of his predecessors at the Cook County Public Guardian’s office have complained to DCFS and in federal court about children being locked in psychiatric wards long after they should have been discharged. Although the federal court entered a consent decree 27 years ago requiring DCFS to not hospitalize children longer than medically necessary, DCFS’s unconstitutional practice remains and has actually become much more prevalent.
Golbert and the youth are represented by Michael Kanovitz, Russell Ainsworth, Julie Goodwin and Adair Crosley of Loevy & Loevy Attorneys at Law. Golbert is partnering with Loevy & Loevy to obtain justice for the affected children.
Loevy & Loevy has previously used class action suits to force significant reforms in favor of the rights of jailed people in Illinois. In Young v. Cook County, it forced an end to gratuitously humiliating strip searches at Cook County Jail. In Dunn v. Chicago, it forced the City of Chicago to ensure that temperatures are kept at reasonably humane levels and that prisoners can sleep on rudimentary mattresses rather than cold concrete ledges.
Mr. Golbert and his attorneys will speak about their suit at an 11:30 a.m. press conference today at Loevy & Loevy Attorneys at Law, 311 N. Aberdeen Street, 3rd floor, Chicago. A copy of today’s suit, Charles Golbert, et al., v. Beverly J. Walker, et al., No. 1:18-cv-08176, is available here.
Its about time!! As an inpatient adolescent psych nurse weve had kids stay 100’s of days…so sad.. and unanswered calls from caseworkers,… kids sit and wait, they have broken glasses no clothing delivered and wonder, just adding to their trauma… Ive seen other states handle these issues way better than Illinois. Tragic.. Atrocious. Shame on you DCFS
I have worked in a psychiatric hospital and on a statewide committee trying to get the state to address psych lockouts for years. I’m a LCPC with 20+ years experience. If I can be of any assistance I would be more than happy to help you.
Our daughter had a terrible experience at River edge Hospital September 2018. It did not help her condition, it made it worse.
I have a 16 year old Foster daughter who was locked up for 3 years and has lost so much of her life
I was in DCFS from age 4 to 18+ Me and about 11 others whom I am in touch with were all victims to the system. Please call me!
My son was encouraged to go to harts grove by sass said it was the best place for him he was there for 5 days terrible place they should be closed down
I was one of those youth and I can’t agree more. They would say I would only be there for 6 months and it turned into 2 plus years. It was similar to being in jail (confined) it definitely impacted my teenage and youth years severely. I was in psychiatric wards from the time I was 10-16 non stop.
My granddaughter was placed with Children’s Home & Aid in Rockford Illinois 3 different times. They continuously placed her back with the mother even though I told them things the mother was doing to her & her siblings. This time they placed her with a siblings aunt because they didn’t want her to be with me even knowing that she wanted to be with me. I was driving an ice cream truck in 2017 and their house was on my route every Wednesday. She would give them a hard time when she heard me. Instead of just letting her come out and get an ice cream from me they put her in a phsyciatric hospital. They put her in there twice when all they had to do was let her see me. Now she’s in a foster home in Woodstock, IL but wants to be with me but they won’t let her even though I’ve had her placed with me for 2 1/2 yrs and I get visits with her. If she misbehaves they take away her visit with me.
I have been in DCFS since age 12 I even completed treatment at my residential and discharge successfully even still I am now 18 years old and I am being harassed by the system it is making it hard for me to have a normal adult life I am unable to go to school without seeing that there are pictures of me when I was younger I am about to be 19 years old and I am Still a prisoner to DCFS even with me working having my own apartment and etc. That is not enough they want to have full control over you and your life.
I was a ward off the state myself DCFS has done so much damage to my family they use to keep me confined in juvenile for no reason no crime ever committed they did that to my brother as well they took my children from me when they were 3 yrs old for no reason all because I took my kid’s to the store they never had a court order to remove my kid’s from they home they just showed up and took them away never gave no reason and yrs later I found out it was truancy which I was 14 yrs old with no guardian for many of yrs which DCFS was a aware of and when I finally got to see my kid’s again while they are all grown up I learned that my daughter was physically harming herself and being in a institution I never once was contacted by any caseworker that my child was going through these things and now I have to hear all the hurtful stories. DCFS failed us
When I was 16, over the course of nine months, I was admitted 4 different times and spent 106 days inpatient, because DCFS believed my (adopted) parents were doing their best with a “mentally ill child.” At 17, I was put back in foster care, and after I turned 18, I went to a new doctor. Over the course of a year, I was weaned off every single medication I’d been forced to take for diseases I was falsely diagnosed with.
I am so very thankful someone finally took the time to hear the stories and recognize the abuses an entire generation of children suffered under the care of the very people who were supposed to heal us.
Dcfs took my kids casue my boyfriend beat my ass I did not I called the police had him go to jail n they come the next n say get order protection or they taking r kids so I do that bout a month later I drop casue I wanted to be around his kids so wen he got of jail we meet up n some one saw us toghter n called DCFS then DCFS came over my house couple day later with the police took my kids with temporary paper placeing them with family casue they said that were living toghter but we weren’t he was just over visiting his kids don’t live with me they don’t have no proof he live they r just saying he dose just lies. But let me remind whole two months he was locked up they never took my or made me do classes casue I was vicitm n I did nun wrong but get my ass beat. But wen he got of jail n came visit his kids someone told them that they us together then DCFS came to house couple day take my son from his n my 4 moths daughter was with me so came to my house the police I was given her up at first but I place her with a family member that trust she would be in good hands with but the r abuseig they power casue they say we live together but hvse no proof of this he was just over visiting now they day I get to do domestic classes n parenting classes n council but I never had to do while he was locked I think they r just trying to make me do this so they can keep my kids away from me and so me the father of my kids don’t have a relationship together
I need a lawyer who will fight DCFS back n win not know punk lawyer who say how down n do whatever they say do if that’s a case I don’t need for that I can do that my self
They keep the kids because the system want to keep their power keys full at the expense of the children and their families
I was with dcfs from the age 8 until 23. And i was n heartgrove for months on in. They even sent me outta state to Utah. I did 5 years out there in a hospital
My son has been clinically ready to come home since sept. But they are saying hes aggressive but his caseworker and therapist says hes ready to be discharged. Sad hes ready and has done alot to get better.
This is a shame that it has been allowed and it will take a long time to correct but if everyone puts the efforts in we as human’s can accomplish it
The vision disability population is screwed as they do not let them wear glasses