The Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) is constructing a 200-bed mental health and general medicine treatment center in Joliet. This facility will provide the most intensive level of care for incarcerated men and women with mental illness or who require long-term skilled nursing care. IDOC was joined by Illinois Senator Pat McGuire, Representative Lawrence Walsh, Joliet Mayor Bob O’Dekirk, and AFSCME Council 31 representatives for an official groundbreaking ceremony Monday morning. The 180,000-square foot Inpatient Treatment Center will be located in Joliet, Illinois on the same grounds as the existing Joliet Treatment Center. The $150 million facility will provide services to both male and female patients. More than 400 people will work at the facility including physicians, nurse practitioners, licensed psychologists, and correctional treatment officers. This new Inpatient Treatment Center will ensure IDOC meets its obligation to provide inpatient beds and programming space for seriously mentally ill offenders, as outlined in the Rasho v Baldwin settlement agreement. Construction of the Joliet Inpatient Treatment Center is expected to be completed in 2021.