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FYI: A class of parolees with mental illnesses and substance abuse problems who are awaiting state-funded treatment have filed a federal lawsuit against the state. According to their complaint, parole officers for these prisoners have ruled that they should be in treatment programs as a result of minor parole violations. But because the state lacks space in its treatment program, the complaint says, the prisoners have instead been funneled into city jails. This treatment, they charge, violates the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act. The prisoners are represented by the D.C.-based Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, the Urban Justice Center, Legal Aid Society and the local law firm Swidler Berlin Shereff Friedman, LLP. [10/23/03]