Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center

As hearings begin this week, independent court monitor says Illinois' services are ‘in stark contrast to national best practices.’

A caregiver at the southern Illinois facility used their leg to pin a patient with developmental disabilities.

A new report by an advocacy agency details how abuse and neglect at Choate have continued despite calls for and promises of reform. Now, the Illinois Department of Human Services has reversed its decision to keep Choate’s top leadership in place.

Peter Neumer will step down from his role overseeing investigations into the abuse and neglect of some of Illinois' most vulnerable people on August 17.

Prompted by an outcry over abuse, Illinois proposed moving residents from Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center to similar facilities in the state. New reporting shows the problems at Choate are common throughout the statewide system.

On Wednesday, the state announced plans to dramatically reduce the number of patients with developmental disabilities who live at the embattled state-run Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center.

Officials acknowledged that news reporting had put a spotlight on conditions at the center for people with developmental disabilities and mental illnesses. “Significant changes” are needed, the governor says.

Ongoing investigations of the state-run facility have revealed culture of abuse and cover-ups.

Newly obtained documents echo ProPublica's reporting on abuse, cover-ups and a “sense of impunity” at an Illinois institution for people with mental illnesses and developmental disorders. The governor has said Choate must be reformed.

No one was charged when staff were caught on a 911 tape threatening violence against a Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center resident who has developmental disabilities. New reporting shows a culture of cover-ups at the facility.