Judge stops short of contempt for Oregon over hospital delays and sets a 90-day check-in
Judge Michael Mosman declined to hold the state in contempt over delays in admitting jailed defendants to Oregon State Hospital, while saying he would revisit the question at a compliance hearing about three months later. At the time the hospital was taking roughly 20 days to admit patients, leaving dozens of people with serious mental illness in county jails.
OHA director Patrick Allen told the court he expected the state to be back in compliance within the 90 days. Metropolitan Public Defender attorney Jesse Merrithew said the order did nothing for people sitting in jail cells in the meantime. Mosman said he would look at longer-term fixes, including pending legislation, community mental health programs and efforts to discharge patients who no longer need hospital-level care.
The ruling set the clock for the state's 2019 attempt to clear its aid-and-assist backlog.
Source: Judge Declines To Hold Oregon In Contempt, Orders Compliance Hearing For State Hospital — Oregon Public Broadcasting, by Conrad Wilson
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