Illinois is considering a change to its nursing home regulations to help nursing homes and law enforcement officials better track and manage residents who are violent offenders.
Spurred by a recent discovery that a suburban Chicago nursing home was housing 10 known sex offenders, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has asked for legislators to consider amendments to the state’s current nursing home regulations.
The amendments would require the Illinois Department of Corrections to give written notice to local law enforcement and state and local nursing home officials when a felon is released or paroled and placed in a home. The goal is to give nursing homes in the state the information they need to appropriately manage such residents, according to Madigan.
The proposed changes also would require nursing homes to notify residents and families when a sex offender is admitted. They would mandate that information about the felon’s criminal and health background be revealed to the nursing home and state officials. Nursing homes not in full compliance with all other state regulations would not be permitted to admit sex offenders if the rules go into effect.
