Feds launch probe into Illinois’ treatment of people with disabilities

ProPublica / Whitney Curtis

The U.S. Department of Justice has launched a sweeping investigation into Illinois’ treatment of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, examining whether the state unnecessarily institutionalizes individuals and fails to protect them from abuse and neglect. The inquiry will review conditions at Choate, Jack Mabley and Samuel Shapiro developmental centers, as well as the broader system that serves people living in community settings. The investigation follows years of reporting detailing abuse, neglect, and systemic oversight failures within state-run facilities.

The federal probe also raises questions about Illinois’ compliance with the Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision, which affirms the right of people with disabilities to live in the least restrictive setting possible. Advocates say long waitlists, staffing shortages, and limited community-based resources continue to leave many individuals in institutional settings, while state leaders maintain that reforms are underway. The DOJ’s findings, expected later this year, could have significant implications for how Illinois funds, oversees, and delivers disability services statewide.