ACLU Settles Class Action That Brings More Resources For Mental Health In Pa.
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Pennsylvania's Department of Human Services has settled an ACLU class action that challenged the state's treatment of mentally ill individuals caught in the criminal justice system.
The agreement brings more resources to those inmates with severe mental illness.
"The terrific thing about this case is that the Department of Human Services has stepped up," says David Gersch -- one of the lead attorneys in the JH v. Dallas case -- filed by the ACLU on behalf of hundreds of defendants declared mentally incompetent in Pennsylvania Courts.
They claimed lack of services meant their clients were housed in jail, without treatment, including the lead defendant jailed for stealing $3 worth of peppermint patties.
"A lot of these people have been put in solitary confinement," he says.
On the eve of trial, DHS agreed to provide more resources, including 120 more treatment slots and a million dollars to Philadelphia for more housing opportunities.
"It's a tremendous step forward," Gersch says.
"This agreement puts the focus exactly where it needs to be, on providing the highest level of services we can for those served by the forensic system," DHS Secretary Ted Dallas said in a statement. "I would like to thank the ACLU for their professionalism and willingness to compromise. By working together, we have taken a good first step towards addressing a long-standing issue that both sides agree has affected Pennsylvanians for too many years."
