New Hampshire weighs a 100-bed forensic psychiatric hospital to replace the prison's Secure Psychiatric Unit
InDepthNH reported that New Hampshire was considering four options, from new construction to renovation, for a forensic psychiatric hospital of about 100 beds. The facility would take people now divided among the Secure Psychiatric Unit at the men's prison in Concord, New Hampshire Hospital and the Laconia Designated Receiving Facility.
The intended population includes civilly committed individuals, people found not guilty by reason of insanity, defendants deemed incompetent to stand trial, patients too dangerous for the state hospital, and forensic patients with developmental disabilities. A stated goal was to eliminate the prison unit and ease emergency room waits for admission to the state hospital.
The proposal came after federal court petitions and a lawsuit over the unit's conditions. Legislator Renny Cushing called it a very positive step, while advocates stressed evidence-based practice and civil rights safeguards.
Source: NH Considers New 100-Bed Forensic Psychiatric Hospital — InDepthNH.org, by Nancy West
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