Tryon bill to improve efficiency of Circuit Courts signed into law

A bill sponsored by State Representative Mike Tryon (R-Crystal Lake) that will provide Circuit Courts with the authority to require the administration of prescribed medications and ultimately improve inmates’ ability to be found fit for trial was signed into law today by Governor Bruce Rauner.

House Bill 2673, now Public Act 99-0179, will help end the unproductive and expensive cycle where some inmates facing felony charges are bounced back and forth between county jails and state mental hospitals. “This has actually been a significant problem statewide,” said Tryon. “Prior to the signing of this bill, local inmates who are found unfit to stand trial are typically shipped off to state mental hospitals where mandated medications can be administered. Once the inmate is deemed fit, they are transferred back to a county jail where medications cannot be forced, and they often quickly slip back to being unfit. It’s an unproductive and expensive cycle which benefits no one.” Read more.