>> In Illinois, people charged with offenses can be held for an indefinite amount of time under 2 different state laws known as civil commitment laws currently more than 500 people are committed under those laws as they're considered a threat to public safety.

Those individuals who've either been charged with or convicted of a offense aren't technically serving time.

But Wdw News spoke with several of them who say it feels like they are our reporters, Blair, Paddock, techie and anchor Brandis Friedman spent more than a year talking to those affected by civil commitment laws.

They also dug through state documents and data to offer a glimpse into the legal and treatment processes in Illinois that have largely avoided the public eye.

Friends Blair join us now with more.

Really great reporting here.

The 2 of you focused on 2 different civil commitment laws in the state of Illinois.

Brand is tell us about the one you looked into.

Yes, thanks, Nick.

So under this law, people who have been convicted of a offense and likely have served some time in prison, they're evaluated by psychologists before they're released to determine if they are likely to re-offend.

And that is, of course, based on that previous offense as well as any.

>> The existence of a mental health condition or mental illness.

The Illinois Attorney general's office then petitions the court to have been committed if and once the court grants that petition, the person is then sent to the treatment and detention facility in Rushville for mental health treatment.

But unlike a prison sentence which can be determinant, folks who are held at the tdf until the court says where they are held at the tdf until the court says that they are no longer a threat that they can be released.

Now, it's not prison, though.

You can tell from these pictures.

It looks a little bit like And many critics, including people who are being held their claim that it functions much like a prison.

It has operated by the Illinois Department of Human Services who contracts with Liberty health care to provide the mental health treatment.

There.

Now, for the last year, I have been in communication with a man named Jason Allen.

He has been at the TV at since it opened in 2026.

Excuse me.

In 2006 before that he was held in various state facilities at first for juveniles and then for adults since he was 13 years old today.

He's 48.

Here's what my phone interviews with him were.

He tells me that he rejected the mental health treatment that he was receiving there because he felt it was a useful.

>> I get out of this facilities treatment program in 2013 because they were just playing games and I have no ties our patients for time.

I've been institutionalized 21 days after turned 13, I've been in treatment facility program.

There were actually designed to help resident patient and they whatever.

>> Turning to the issues.

>> And this facility is not designed to help us.

It is designed to warehouse.

>> Now, Blair, tell us about the state law that you looked into.

This one operates differently.

Yeah, I looked at the sexually dangerous person compared to brandis's law.

The chief focus not focused pre conviction law.

So someone is charged with a crime the prosecutor on that case will petition the judge to evaluate that person has a sexually dangerous person.

A psychiatrist will come in do an evaluation.

And if they're found to be in us up, that person will be sent down state to Big Muddy River Correctional Center again without a criminal trial, even taking place at facility.

They're supposed to receive treatment like group therapy is the main form offered.

But I spoke to a man who about a decade ago filed a lawsuit alleging that there was not adequate treatment.

He said that at the time he was only given about an hour of group therapy each week receiving treatment.

Getting through treatment is the main way be released from the facility.

Yeah.

So clearly some common threads folks taking issue with this treatment.

Bring us.

What is that the process for release from the treatment in detention facility?

sort of similar to what you hear Blair reference because it is complicated.

And the story on our Web site, shows the figures that our colleague, Deirdre techie analyze, showing that 102 people have died in civil commitment since 2006.

That is when the facility opened.

Jason Allen as well as another resident that I've been in communication with their Samuel Rutherford.

They tell me that they have tried to use the courts to secure their release clearly with no success.

The nonprofit advocates at equip for equality make the point that very few defense attorneys are willing to take on this kind of case.

In a statement, the Illinois Department of Human Services, they explain that the tdf this is a quote.

Atf does not determine the length of stay for residents who've been committed to the program term of their original incarceration length of stay is determined by the courts under the Illinois SVP Act and is based on ongoing assessments of risk.

Not a fixed sentence.

The philosophy of the tda program is that residents can be rehabilitated.

Continued detention reflects a court determination regarding risk.

Not a conclusion that rehabilitation is impossible.

So the residents there, they're up for review annually.

And part of that review includes progress in completion of that 5 step mental health program.

That also includes a lot of group therapy.

Typically a discharge means that they are released on what's called conditional release or a successful discharge would be would be released on conditional release.

That's a very strict set of rules or conditions that have to be followed.

Even minor violations could have the residents it back to the for more treatment.

>> And boy, we're just about out of time.

But you mentioned that lawsuit out of Rushville.

What came of that?

Yeah.

So just last week, actually, a federal judge ordered that 5 hours of treatment is required for those who are inside of the facility.

Those plaintiffs.

>> And and see reaction to the therapy hours that we provided in our story that they already provide 5 hours of therapy.

But that's not mandatory for