This story is a collaboration between Illinois Answers and the Chicago bureau of MindSite News. Mental health courts have proliferated across Illinois in recent decades. Now, the state has 31 courts across […]
Grace Hauck
Grace Hauck is an investigative reporter with Illinois Answers Project’s State Investigations Team. Before joining Illinois Answers, she worked for USA TODAY in Chicago in various roles, including breaking news, enterprise and criminal justice reporting. She grew up in New Jersey and is a graduate of the University of Chicago.
Posted inInvestigating Responses
Prison or treatment? Thousands participate in mental health courts. Half graduate — and millions are left out
This story is a collaboration between Illinois Answers and the Chicago bureau of MindSite News; sign up to receive their newsletter here. Bloomington native Shayla Woodworth had struggled with mental illness and […]
Posted inFollow-Up
Mentally ill man restrained in chair for 3 days settles case in Williamson County
A man with mental illness who says he was strapped down to a chair for three days at Williamson County Jail reached a settlement in his civil rights case against […]
Posted inCriminal Justice & Public Safety
‘You’re One of Us’: After Off-Duty Cop Crashed Car Then Holed Up at Home in Armed Standoff with Police, He Got a Big Hug and Initially Faced No Charges
Officer Ryan Harter eventually was charged with misdemeanors — nearly three weeks later.
Posted inInvestigating Responses
These Counties Spend Transit Tax Money on Ride Services. They’re Lifelines for Thousands of Residents
Fledgling dial-a-ride networks are filling gaps in public transit in the collar counties, but they struggle to meet demand.
Posted inGovernment Finance & Accountability
A Little-Known Legal Loophole Has Scrambled State Efforts to Save Transit Agencies From Financial Disaster
Suburban counties last year spent $83M in RTA sales taxes on jails and courts, and they are not giving that money up as the state scrapes for cash.
Posted inStatewide Investigations
[Video] Strapped Down: Investigating Restraint Chairs in Illinois Jails
The Illinois Answers Project’s “Strapped Down” series investigated the overuse, misuse and abuse of restraint chairs in county jails across Illinois.
Posted inInvestigating Responses
How three states are addressing the use and abuse of restraint chairs
The “Strapped Down” series investigated the use of restraint chairs in county jails. For the final stories in the series, we’re examining how three other states have addressed the use and misuse of restraint chairs.
Posted inInvestigating Responses
A Mentally Ill Man Died After Being Restrained. His Family’s Advocacy Led to Statewide Changes in California.
The knock came around midnight.
The officers told Carty Holland that his son, Andrew, had died at the county jail.
“They didn’t tell me how he passed,” Holland said. “The ugliness of it came later on.”
Posted inCriminal Justice & Public Safety
Iowa Jails Abused Restraint Chairs. A Watchdog Agency Intervened, Spurring Reform.
Two Iowa jails have made reforms after an ombudsman report found the facilities were restraining people with mental illnesses in chairs for long periods of time.
