A new investigative collaboration between Capitol News Illinois, Lee Enterprises Midwest and ProPublica has found hundreds of reports of abuse inside the Choate Mental Health and Development Center in Anna, Illinois.
For years, this abuse has gone unreported — and Choate employees have rarely been held responsible for the harm they’ve caused to residents with developmental disabilities. Choate stands out from the other state-run mental health facilities for the sheer number of incidents that have occurred there within the past couple of decades, and the abuses represent yet another massive, years-long failure in state government when it comes to taking care of the most vulnerable populations in Illinois.
The failures span back multiple administrations, but will these stick to Gov. JB Pritzker as election season ramps up? Our panel includes host Hannah Meisel filling in for Sean Crawford, Professor Emeritus Charlie Wheeler, Molly Parker of Lee Enterprises Midwest and Beth Hundsdorfer of Capitol News Illinois.
