Clark County public defenders seek dismissals as mentally ill inmates wait 90 to 150 days for treatment
The Review-Journal reported in July 2015 that Nevada's only secure forensic hospital, Lake's Crossing Center in Sparks, was failing to admit court-ordered mentally ill inmates within the 14-day limit then in force. Clark County's public defender responded by filing dozens of motions seeking dismissal of charges and release, arguing the state had a duty to provide prompt restorative treatment. One detainee cited in the piece was ordered to treatment on May 8 but not scheduled for transfer until August 20.
Waits of 90 to 150 days were typical, and Clark County was paying about $135 per inmate per day to keep them in jail. The state's chief medical officer acknowledged the 14-day target was not being met for most clients, and officials planned to set aside 15 beds at Rawson-Neal Psychiatric Hospital and open a 47-bed forensic unit at Stein Hospital in the fall. A hearing on the motions was set for July 31 before District Judge Jennifer Togliatti.
The story captures the pressure that produced the federal court order and the new Las Vegas forensic unit later that year.
Source: Treatment delays for mentally ill inmates prompts call for release — Las Vegas Review-Journal, by Yesenia Amaro
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