Washington held in contempt over jail 'waiting rooms' for mental health
Judge Pechman found DSHS in civil contempt for the first time in the Trueblood case, imposing sanctions of $500 to $1,000 per day for every class member who waited more than a week for a competency evaluation or restoration admission. Court data at the time showed the state was meeting its deadlines only 20 to 32 percent of the time, two years after the original injunction.
The ruling made clear that an injunction alone would not change the state's practices, setting up the escalating cycle of contempt findings and fines that would define the case for the next decade.
Source: Judge Holds WA in Contempt over Use of Jails as Mental Health “Waiting Rooms” — Nonprofit Quarterly, by Ruth McCambridge
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