Connecticut's competency exam referrals climbed nearly 20 percent over four fiscal years while criminal caseloads shrank
CT Mirror's analysis of court data found that competency examination referrals grew by nearly 20 percent between fiscal 2015 and fiscal 2019, from 1,089 to 1,299, while the number of criminal cases statewide dropped roughly 10 percent. In fiscal 2019 about 85 percent of evaluations, around 1,059, ended with a finding that the defendant was competent.
The piece describes Connecticut's restoration capacity as centered on Whiting Forensic Hospital in Middletown, with up to 78 beds for competency restoration and an 18-month limit on how long a defendant can be held for treatment. Michael Lawlor and other advocates attributed the rise in referrals to the shrinking set of community services and supports, which leaves courts and police to manage people with serious mental illness.
For readers tracking the competency system, the story is a rare look at Connecticut's evaluation volume and outcomes, and it frames the demand for evaluations as a downstream effect of community-care gaps rather than of crime trends.
Source: Competency exam referrals are increasing even as criminal cases fall in CT — CT Mirror, by Kelan Lyons
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