Florida House committee backs allowing restoration treatment in county jails as 548 defendants wait for state beds
A House subcommittee voted 8-0 on February 3, 2022, for HB 1249, which would let the Department of Children and Families provide restoration services to defendants found incompetent in a community provider's facility that may be co-located in a county jail. The Senate companion drew sharp opposition from public defenders, who said jails are poor settings for people with schizophrenia or brain injury and that more resources for DCF were the real answer.
A Senate staff analysis said 548 suspects were waiting for beds in the state's three psychiatric hospitals and three contracted centers on January 12, 2022, nearly 500 of them beyond the 15-day limit, with an average wait of 59 days. Sponsors said the change would shorten delays and keep patients near family, and the analysis cited Georgia's 16-bed jail forensic unit opened in 2011 as precedent.
Source: Bill would provide for 'restoration care' in county jails — The Florida Bar News, by Jim Ash
← Back to the map