Federal judge refuses to dismiss Utah competency-wait lawsuit
In a written decision on April 7, 2016, Judge Robert Shelby denied the state's motion to dismiss the suit brought by the Disability Law Center and three individuals found incompetent to stand trial. The plaintiffs said they sat in county jails, some in solitary confinement or on suicide watch, while waiting for space in the full forensic unit of the Utah State Hospital.
The court reasoned that holding pretrial detainees for long periods without a legitimate purpose can amount to punishment, a theory that shaped the case's later settlement.
Source: Disability Law Center et al v. State of Utah et al, 2:2015cv00645 - Document 51 (D. Utah 2016) — Justia (court opinion), by U.S. District Court, D. Utah
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