Oklahoma senator files bill to allow jail-based restoration when forensic beds are not available
In a press release, Oklahoma Sen. Michael Bergstrom announced Senate Bill 1113, which authorizes jail-based competency restoration. If a forensic bed is not available within 30 days after a court finds a defendant incompetent to stand trial, the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services would have to provide treatment services or designate another entity to do so.
The release cited current waits of about five months for men and six months for women. It noted that the Oklahoma Forensic Center in Vinita is the only state facility providing restoration for all 77 counties and quoted the senator saying it lacks the bed space to meet demand.
The bill was an early legislative attempt to move restoration out of a single hospital and into jails and communities, an approach that later became central to the state's federal settlement.
Source: Sen. Bergstrom Files Bill to Speed Mental Competency Restoration Treatment — Oklahoma State Senate
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