Waitlists
Delays and backlogs for evaluation or restoration.
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Court ends monitoring in Stiavetti case after finding California in substantial compliance Statewide
Source: ACLU of Northern California
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Lawsuit says Florida leaves mentally ill defendants in jail for months past legal limit Statewide
Source: WLRN, by Sharmila Venkatasubban | The Florida Trib
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Judge rejects Texas's request to pause competency wait-time order
Source: Texas Public Radio, by Diego Medel | San Antonio Report
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Texas appeals ruling requiring faster hospital admission for incompetent defendants Statewide
Source: The Texas Tribune, by Katlyn Ma and Alex Nguyen
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Maryland Supreme Court upholds courts' power to fine the health department over slow hospital admissions of incompetent defendants Statewide
Source: Maryland Judiciary, by Supreme Court of Maryland (opinion by Justice Biran)
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Federal court rules Texas's competency wait times unconstitutional, orders 21-day cap Statewide
Source: Disability Rights Texas
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Lancaster County jail cases stall as Nebraska's regional center waits grow Statewide
Source: Nebraska Public Media, by Maddie Ames
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Post and Courier investigation finds South Carolina defendants wait about eight months for competency restoration Statewide
Source: The Post and Courier (Aiken Standard copy), by Glenn Smith, Jocelyn Grzeszczak and Alan Hovorka
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Georgia agrees to fixed deadlines for competency evaluations and hospital admission Statewide
Source: Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities
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Missouri proposes budget expansion for outpatient competency beds amid growing backlog Statewide
Source: Missouri Independent, by Steph Quinn
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Nevada fined $447,000 over continued competency-system delays
Source: The Nevada Independent, by Eric Neugeboren
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Investigation: Ohio's psychiatric hospitals are now dominated by the criminal justice system Statewide
Source: The Marshall Project, by Sarah Jane Tribble, KFF Health News, and Doug Livingston, The Marshall Project
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Arizona's competency system often leaves jail as the only treatment defendants get Statewide
Source: AZ Luminaria, by John Washington
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Advocacy groups sue Missouri over competency evaluation and placement delays Statewide
Source: STLPR, by Rachel Lippmann
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Woman dies in Illinois jail after 67 days awaiting a state hospital bed
Source: Capitol News Illinois, by Illinois Answers Project
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Seven years after Alabama's consent decree, the waitlist for the state's secure men's psychiatric unit has grown nearly fivefold Statewide
Source: Associated Press (via Yahoo News), by Safiyah Riddle
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State assessment finds Pennsylvania's competency system 'in crisis' Statewide
Source: Spotlight PA, by Danielle Ohl
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Massachusetts nurses and SEIU press for separate hospital units as forensic patients fill state psychiatric beds Statewide
Source: WBUR, by Deborah Becker
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Charlotte light-rail case highlights a capacity-evaluation system averaging 69 days at the state's lone evaluation hospital Statewide
Source: North Carolina Health News, by Rachel Crumpler
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Report finds Colorado's competency-restoration backlog persists years after settlement Statewide
Source: Common Sense Institute, by Erik Gamm and John Kellner
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Nevada pays fines and a judge seeks dismissal as Clark County competency waits pass 90 days
Source: FOX5 Vegas, by Victoria Saha
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Nevada to pay $753,500 in fines after Washoe County judge finds state in contempt over delayed competency treatment Statewide
Source: The Nevada Independent, by Eric Neugeboren
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Federal judge holds Oregon in contempt, orders daily fines over competency delays Statewide
Source: Jefferson Public Radio, by Amelia Templeton
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Washington drops appeal of competency fines as jail waits keep climbing Statewide
Source: Prison Legal News
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Las Vegas neighbors push back against planned $381 million forensic hospital
Source: FOX5 Vegas, by Jaclyn Schultz
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Judge calls Maryland's psychiatric bed backlog a constitutional crisis and rejects the health department's plan Statewide
Source: The Baltimore Banner, by Alex Mann
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Maryland's psychiatric waitlist for jailed defendants hits a record as a judge presses the health department Statewide
Source: The Baltimore Banner, by Alex Mann
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North Carolina defendants wait about six months in jail for hospital beds as capacity-to-proceed demand climbs Statewide
Source: North Carolina Health News, by Rachel Crumpler
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Investigation finds 54 deaths among Texans waiting for a state hospital bed Statewide
Source: KXAN, by David Barer and Josh Hinkle
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Advocates ask court to hold Oregon in contempt over competency wait times Statewide
Source: Disability Rights Oregon, by Melissa Roy-Hart
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Georgia's forensic agency publishes a toolkit to help courts cut delays in competency hearings Statewide
Source: Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, by Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, with the Center for Justice Innovation
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Ohio's state psychiatric hospitals run near capacity as defendants wait in jail, public radio reports Statewide
Source: The Ohio Newsroom (Statehouse News Bureau), by Kendall Crawford
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Kansas settles Larned State Hospital wait-time lawsuit, commits to new beds
Source: Kansas Reflector, by Anna Kaminski
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Oklahoma settles class action over restoration-treatment delays Statewide
Source: Oklahoma Attorney General's Office, by Office of the Oklahoma Attorney General
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Federal judge preliminarily approves Oklahoma competency consent decree despite state objections Statewide
Source: KOSU, by Sierra Pfeifer
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Oklahoma attorney general files proposed consent decree in competency restoration class action Statewide
Source: Oklahoma Attorney General's Office
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Maryland judge fines health department $608,000 over delays moving jailed defendants to psychiatric hospitals
Source: The Baltimore Banner, by Ben Conarck, Meredith Cohn and Dylan Segelbaum
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Disability Rights NC sues state health department over months-long jail waits for capacity evaluations and treatment Statewide
Source: Carolina Journal, by CJ Staff
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ACLU sues California over refusal to disclose details of deaths of defendants on the IST waitlist Statewide
Source: Courthouse News Service
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Michigan state report shows waits for forensic hospital beds for incompetent defendants more than quadrupled in a year Statewide
Source: Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
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Kansas county launches outpatient competency restoration as inmates wait a year or more for Larned or Osawatomie
Source: KCUR, by Dylan Lysen
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Clark County inmates found incompetent wait more than 100 days in jail for a Stein bed
Source: FOX5 Vegas, by Victoria Saha
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Treatment Advocacy Center report finds Wyoming jail inmates wait the longest for state hospital beds Statewide
Source: WyoFile, by Madelyn Beck
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Louisiana forensic backlog averages nearly seven months in jail before admission Statewide
Source: The Advocate (Baton Rouge), by Rebecca Holland
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Evaluator shortage delays competency cases in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley
Source: WHSV, by Colby Johnson
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Montana Supreme Court overturns a judge's order for a health department report on forensic waitlist Statewide
Source: Montana Free Press, by Mara Silvers
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Hawaii State Hospital is over licensed capacity, with patients housed in conference and therapy rooms Statewide
Source: Honolulu Civil Beat, by Kevin Dayton, Nick Grube
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Louisiana's forensic waitlist keeps growing, with nearly 200 jailed ahead of hospital admission Statewide
Source: The Advocate (Baton Rouge), by Rebecca Holland
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Kentucky evaluation backlog reaches 353 as the state psychiatric center operates under half its beds Statewide
Source: 14 News (WFIE, Evansville), by Steve Mehling
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Oregon State Hospital meets the seven-day admission deadline for the first time in four years Statewide
Source: Oregon Public Broadcasting, by Rolando Hernandez
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Nevada Supreme Court upholds $500-a-day fines against state over delayed treatment of incompetent defendants Statewide
Source: The Nevada Independent, by Eric Neugeboren
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Nashville judge opens incompetency docket after dozens of charges dismissed against defendants found incompetent
Source: NewsChannel 5 (WTVF), Nashville, by Ben Hall
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Competency referrals have roughly doubled in Washington over a decade Statewide
Source: The Spokesman-Review, by Esmy Jimenez, Seattle Times
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Judge approves revised Oregon order that narrows admissions and allows extended stays for serious charges Statewide
Source: Oregon Public Broadcasting, by Conrad Wilson
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San Diego grand jury finds most jailed defendants get no restoration treatment while waiting
Source: San Diego County Grand Jury, by 2022/2023 San Diego County Grand Jury
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Nevada's plan to put forensic beds in Las Vegas city jail slips by at least 18 months
Source: Nevada Current, by Camalot Todd
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Half of North Carolina defendants found incapable to proceed waited 313+ days for a hospital bed, WFAE finds Statewide
Source: WFAE (Charlotte), by Dana Miller Ervin
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Texas psychiatric hospital staffing gaps keep over 2,500 defendants waiting in jail Statewide
Source: The Texas Tribune, by Stephen Simpson
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Class action filed over Oklahoma defendants waiting up to a year in jail for restoration Statewide
Source: Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse
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Pennsylvania's competency system leaves people waiting in jail without treatment Statewide
Source: Spotlight PA, by Danielle Ohl and Brittany Hailer
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Illinois law lengthens the jail-transfer deadline for defendants found unfit from 20 to 60 days after officials concede the old limit was routinely missed Statewide
Source: NPR Illinois (Capitol News Illinois), by Peter Hancock
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Texas waitlist for state hospital beds tops 2,500 as lawmakers weigh a deadline Statewide
Source: USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism (originally published by KXAN), by David Barer, CHJ Fellow
- Advocates ask court to hit Washington with $250 million in new fines Statewide
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Texas psychiatric beds go offline for staffing as the forensic waitlist passes 2,500 Statewide
Source: Houston Public Media, by Sara Willa Ernst
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Louisiana jails hold well over 100 incompetent defendants awaiting state hospital beds Statewide
Source: The Lens, by Nick Chrastil
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CalMatters traces a man jailed nearly nine years in Sacramento without trial as California's IST waitlist hits 1,446
Source: CalMatters, by Jocelyn Wiener
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North Carolina opens its first jail-based capacity restoration program in Mecklenburg County
Source: North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
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Kentucky psychiatric center has 302 people waiting for court-ordered evaluations, averaging nearly six months Statewide
Source: LEX 18, by Christiana Ford
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Kentucky public defenders say defendants wait up to 18 months for state competency evaluations, often longer than any likely sentence Statewide
Source: WKYT, by Kelsey Souto
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Kansas inmates wait months for mental health beds as Sedgwick and Finney counties describe jail costs Statewide
Source: Kansas Reflector, by Rachel Mipro
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Missouri mental health officials tell lawmakers 210 jailed people await hospital beds as staffing gaps deepen Statewide
Source: Missouri Independent, by Tessa Weinberg
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Los Angeles Times documents long jail waits for incompetent defendants as California's wait averages 141 days Statewide
Source: Los Angeles Times, by Kevin Rector
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Federal judge sets time limits on Oregon State Hospital stays for defendants in competency restoration Statewide
Source: Oregon Public Broadcasting, by Ben Botkin (The Lund Report)
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Five more Illinois sheriffs join suit over delayed transfers of inmates found unfit for trial
Source: Illinois Times, by Dean Olsen
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Dallas editorial urges Texas to stop leaving mentally ill defendants in county jails
Source: Longview News-Journal (syndicated from The Dallas Morning News), by Dallas Morning News
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Federal court closes Utah competency-wait case after five years of monitoring Statewide
Source: Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse
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Illinois judge holds state human services agency in contempt, fines it $100 a day over unfit inmate's wait
Source: Illinois Times, by Dean Olsen
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Illinois prosecutor asks court to hold state human services agency in contempt over jail transfer delays
Source: Illinois Times, by Dean Olsen
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Georgia judge holds state in contempt as competency jail backlog grows Statewide
Source: KFF Health News (with Georgia Health News), by Andy Miller and Rebecca Grapevine
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Court-appointed expert tells Oregon to limit hospital stays and expand community options to meet the seven-day rule Statewide
Source: Oregon Capital Chronicle, by Lynne Terry
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ACLU sues Kansas over Larned State Hospital wait times
Source: Kansas Reflector, by Anna Kaminski
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Colorado passes $54 million bed expansion as competency waits reach nearly 90 days Statewide
Source: Colorado Newsline, by Faith Miller
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Texas senator and county official call state hospital waits 'horrifying' as the jail waitlist hits 2,309 Statewide
Source: KXAN (Austin), by David Barer, Josh Hinkle
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Marion County sheriff says jails are a dumping ground as incompetent defendants wait four months for Logansport beds
Source: WRTV (Indianapolis), by WRTV Staff
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ACLU sues Indiana over competency restoration delays Statewide
Source: ACLU of Indiana
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With only 39 staffed forensic beds, Mississippi defendants wait up to a year in jail for restoration treatment Statewide
Source: Mississippi Free Press (with Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting), by Julie Whitehead
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Nashville task force finds long waits for forensic evaluation and quick re-arrest of incompetent misdemeanor defendants
Source: Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, by Task Force on Competency & Wellbeing, Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County (primary author Dia Cirillo, Office of Mayor John Cooper)
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Nebraska committee advances bill giving incompetent defendants priority at the regional center Statewide
Source: Nebraska Examiner, by Paul Hammel
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Washington enacts law to speed transfers from outpatient restoration and tighten competency service deadlines Statewide
Source: Washington State Legislature, by Washington State Senate (Office of Senate Bill Reports)
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Western State Hospital shifts toward forensic patients as its competency waitlist grows
Source: The Seattle Times (via Walla Walla Union-Bulletin), by Esmy Jimenez
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Montana jails hold people for months awaiting state hospital forensic evaluations and beds Statewide
Source: Montana Free Press (KFF Health News), by Katheryn Houghton, KFF Health News
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Disability Rights Mississippi sues the mental health department again over records on its forensic unit Statewide
Source: Mississippi Today, by Will Stribling
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Nebraska inmates wait an average of 128 days for Lincoln Regional Center beds Statewide
Source: Nebraska Examiner, by Paul Hammel
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Arkansas jails hold well over a hundred people waiting a year or more for state hospital beds Statewide
Source: KTLO
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Legislative Analyst reviews Newsom's $317 million IST package as felony waitlist tops 1,700 Statewide
Source: California Legislative Analyst's Office
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New York City's jail system reports 92 people awaited transfer to state custody during January-March 2022 after being found unfit, with waits up to 69 days
Source: New York City Department of Correction
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Kansas House committee hears bill to open new competency evaluation and restoration pathways beyond Larned Statewide
Source: Kansas Legislature, by Kansas House Judiciary Committee
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Mississippi homicide suspect found incompetent in 2019 is still in jail, as state hospital forensic capacity lags Statewide
Source: Mississippi Today (Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting), by Julie Whitehead
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Florida House committee backs allowing restoration treatment in county jails as 548 defendants wait for state beds Statewide
Source: The Florida Bar News, by Jim Ash
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KXAN-led investigation finds at least 12 Texans died in jail awaiting competency treatment Statewide
Source: USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism, by David Barer and Josh Hinkle
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Texas hospital staffing emergency looms as a record 2,100 people wait in jail for competency restoration Statewide
Source: KXAN (Austin), by David Barer, Josh Hinkle
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California suspends state hospital admissions again during Omicron surge Statewide
Source: California Department of State Hospitals
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Jail inmates file federal class action over South Dakota's delays sending them for competency restoration
Source: KFGO, by Paul Jurgens
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KXAN reports Texas's jail waitlist for competency restoration hit 1,838 and examines a statewide plan to cut it Statewide
Source: KXAN (Austin), by David Barer, Josh Hinkle
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East Texas man spends two years in jail before and while waiting for competency restoration
Source: Dallas Observer, by Michael Murney
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Oklahoma senator files bill to allow jail-based restoration when forensic beds are not available Statewide
Source: Oklahoma State Senate
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UVA study finds misdemeanor defendants crowd Virginia's state hospitals for competency restoration Statewide
Source: Virginia Mercury, by Kate Masters
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Colorado's Pueblo hospital faces a federal safety deadline as the competency waitlist hits a record
Source: The Gazette (Colorado Springs), by Debbie Kelley
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State workgroup sets out 2021 plan to shrink California's incompetent-to-stand-trial waitlist Statewide
Source: California Health and Human Services Agency, by California Health and Human Services Agency and California Department of State Hospitals
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Kansas health agency reports male defendants waited an average of 171 days for Larned competency services Statewide
Source: Kansas Legislature (special committee testimony), Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, by Scott Brunner
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New York City evaluation pilot finds most competency exams in Queens finished within target times
Source: NYC Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice
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Texas's competency restoration waitlist reaches a record 1,813, nearly double the year before Statewide
Source: Dallas Observer, by Michael Murney
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Bed closures at Colorado's state psychiatric hospital linked to jail suicides
Source: Colorado Public Radio, by Allison Sherry
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Texas judicial and health commissions publish a toolkit to shrink the jail wait for competency restoration beds Statewide
Source: Texas Judicial Commission on Mental Health, by Texas Judicial Commission on Mental Health and Texas Health and Human Services Commission
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Court weighs contempt as Louisiana admits missing forensic admission deadlines Statewide
Source: U.S. District Court, Middle District of Louisiana (via GovInfo), by U.S. District Court, M.D. La.
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California Supreme Court lets 28-day admission deadline for incompetent defendants stand Statewide
Source: Courthouse News Service, by Nicholas Iovino
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Appeals court sends Oregon's hospital admission deadline dispute back to the district judge Statewide
Source: KTVZ (Associated Press), by Associated Press
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Texas state hospitals stay full as the competency waitlist hovers near a record 1,500 Statewide
Source: KXAN (Austin), by David Barer
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Sixteen defendants found guilty except for insanity wait in Oregon jails for hospital beds despite orders Statewide
Source: Street Roots, by Henry Brannan
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Woman with schizophrenia spends six months in a county jail waiting for an Oklahoma forensic bed Statewide
Source: The Frontier, by Brianna Bailey
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California appeals court affirms limits on jail detention for incompetent defendants Statewide
Source: ACLU of Northern California
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Oregon State Hospital's pandemic staffing emergency prompts request for National Guard nurses Statewide
Source: Oregon Public Broadcasting, by Conrad Wilson
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Federal judge finds Alabama still far out of compliance on competency waits three years after the consent decree Statewide
Source: Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse (University of Michigan Law School), by U.S. District Court, M.D. Ala. (Judge Myron H. Thompson)
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Michigan health department reports the average wait for forensic hospital admission fell from 157 to 137 days in 2020 Statewide
Source: Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
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South Dakota oversight council says competency evaluation waits fell from months to weeks after 2017 reforms Statewide
Source: South Dakota Oversight Council for Improving Criminal Justice Responses for Persons with Mental Illness, by Oversight Council for Improving Criminal Justice Responses for Persons with Mental Illness
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COVID-19 outbreak tops 200 cases at Washington's key forensic hospital
Source: OPB, by Martha Bellisle, Associated Press
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Louisiana court extends oversight of hospital-admission settlement after pandemic disrupts compliance Statewide
Source: Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse
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Oregon State Hospital halts admissions after COVID-19 cases Statewide
Source: OPB, by Conrad Wilson
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Lawsuit challenges California's refusal to admit COVID-positive competency patients Statewide
Source: CalMatters, by Lee Romney
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Indiana launches jail-based and community restoration pilots for defendants waiting on state hospital beds Statewide
Source: News and Tribune (New Albany, IN), via TheStatehouseFile.com, by TheStatehouseFile.com
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Pandemic deepens Washington's jail backlog of defendants found unfit to stand trial Statewide
Source: Crosscut (now Cascade PBS), by David Kroman
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Kentucky health department briefing puts forensic evaluation wait at six to eight weeks, with restoration unfunded Statewide
Source: Kentucky Legislative Research Commission (Jail and Corrections Reform Task Force), by Kentucky Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities
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Alaska appeals court says nearly a year in jail awaiting competency treatment was unconstitutional and orders dismissal Statewide
Source: Anchorage Daily News, by James Brooks
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KXAN 'Locked in Limbo' finds Texas's $1 billion hospital rebuild would still leave the competency waitlist 555 beds short Statewide
Source: KXAN (Austin), by David Barer
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COVID-19 leaves few safe options for defendants found incompetent to stand trial National
Source: The Marshall Project, by Christie Thompson
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Federal judge temporarily loosens Oregon's seven-day hospital admission rule during the pandemic Statewide
Source: Oregon Public Broadcasting, by Conrad Wilson
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Pandemic shutters jail transfers to Western State Hospital, and a federal judge orders them to resume Statewide
Source: Crosscut (now Cascade PBS), by David Kroman
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Pandemic admission limits push Colorado toward millions more in competency fines Statewide
Source: The Gazette (Colorado Springs), by Lance Benzel
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New York City's jail system counts 123 people awaiting state transfer after being found unfit during early 2020, with some waiting two months
Source: New York City Department of Correction
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Oregon State Hospital halts most admissions during COVID-19, leaving defendants in county jails Statewide
Source: Oregon Public Broadcasting, by Conrad Wilson
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Appeals court upholds $370,000 in sanctions on state hospital department for slow admission of incompetent defendants
Source: Metropolitan News-Enterprise, by MetNews Staff Writer
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Chippewa County sheriff's public appeal exposes months-long waits for state psychiatric placement in Michigan Statewide
Source: Bridge Michigan, by Ted Roelofs
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Legislative Analyst: California's IST waitlist leveled off near 800 after years of growth, but referrals keep rising Statewide
Source: California Legislative Analyst's Office
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Hawaii lawmakers weigh bills to divert people with mental illness from jail and speed fitness evaluations Statewide
Source: Honolulu Civil Beat, by Brittany Lyte
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Reporting finds Colorado still under fines and short of competency beds a year after consent decree Statewide
Source: Rocky Mountain PBS, by John Ferrugia
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Michigan House bills would rewrite competency-to-stand-trial procedures and let counties use outside examiners when the state center falls behind Statewide
Source: Michigan House Fiscal Agency
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Georgia forensic director tells the behavioral health board that forensic waitlists keep growing Statewide
Source: Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, by Karen Bailey, Ph.D., Director, Office of Forensic Services, Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities
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Federal judge closes Oregon hospital-delay case after state returns to compliance Statewide
Source: Oregon Public Broadcasting, by Conrad Wilson
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Detroit News traces Michigan's psychiatric bed shortage through a jailed teen found incompetent in a killing Statewide
Source: The Detroit News, by Karen Bouffard
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Mississippi expands forensic capacity and plans an 83-bed unit after years of jail waits Statewide
Source: Mississippi Today, by Larrison Campbell
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Prison Legal News tallies state and federal contempt fights over Oregon's jailed aid-and-assist defendants Statewide
Source: Prison Legal News, by Mark Wilson
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Alabama misses nearly all evaluation and admission deadlines 16 months into its competency consent decree Statewide
Source: Alabama Political Reporter, by Eddie Burkhalter
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Judge stops short of contempt for Oregon over hospital delays and sets a 90-day check-in Statewide
Source: Oregon Public Broadcasting, by Conrad Wilson
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Oregon advocates ask a federal judge to force hospital admissions for jailed defendants Statewide
Source: Northwest Public Broadcasting, by Conrad Wilson
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Marshall Project and Frontline show Pennsylvania's competency wait as a window on a national problem National
Source: The Marshall Project (with PBS Frontline), by Christie Thompson, Leila Miller, and Manuel Villa
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New York City's jail system reports 145 people awaited transfer to state custody after being found unfit during the April-June 2019 quarter
Source: New York City Department of Correction
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Wisconsin budget analysts detail a growing forensic admission waitlist as the state weighs a new Sand Ridge unit Statewide
Source: Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau, by Jon Dyck, Legislative Fiscal Bureau
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Georgia advocates sue Fulton County over women's jail confinement, citing exclusion from competency restoration and long hospital waits
Source: U.S. District Court, N.D. Ga. (complaint as hosted by Courthouse News Service), by Georgia Advocacy Office and Southern Center for Human Rights (plaintiffs' counsel)
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Alaska Mental Health Trust provides $150,000 to clear backlog of jailed defendants awaiting competency evaluations Statewide
Source: Anchorage Daily News, by Michelle Theriault Boots
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Alameda County judge orders California to admit incompetent defendants within 28 days Statewide
Source: ACLU of Northern California
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Colorado settles years-long lawsuit over competency evaluation delays Statewide
Source: Disability Law Colorado
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Alaska's competency system hits a breaking point as jailed defendants wait months for evaluations and beds Statewide
Source: Anchorage Daily News, by Michelle Theriault Boots
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CalMatters finds California's incompetent-to-stand-trial referrals up 60 percent in five years Statewide
Source: CalMatters, by Jocelyn Wiener
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Three years after Pennsylvania's ACLU settlement, waits for forensic beds are shorter but still far above the seven-day standard Statewide
Source: WHYY, by Brett Sholtis
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Family of Virginia jail detainee who died awaiting a hospital bed receives $3 million settlement
Source: WTKR (News 3), Norfolk, by Web Staff
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Utah State Hospital reports forensic admission wait down to 11 days, citing settlement-driven changes Statewide
Source: Utah Legislature (interim committee materials), by Utah State Hospital and Utah Department of Human Services
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Attorney seeks contempt against Maine health department after mentally ill defendant waits weeks in jail; judge declines
Source: Portland Press Herald, by Megan Gray
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Idaho's state hospitals see patient numbers climb more than 250 percent in five years, driven by court-committed defendants Statewide
Source: Idaho State Journal (Idaho Press), by Tommy Simmons
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Federal judge approves settlement over Washington's competency delays Statewide
Source: DSHS (Washington State Department of Social and Health Services), by Washington State Department of Social and Health Services
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NASMHPD research arm reviews community-based outpatient competency restoration programs across the states National
Source: NRI (NASMHPD Research Institute), by Amanda Wik
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New York City launches a Queens pilot to speed 730 fitness-to-stand-trial evaluations
Source: NYC Health + Hospitals
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Colorado officials face repeated contempt threats as the competency waitlist balloons Statewide
Source: Colorado Public Radio, by Allison Sherry
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Relatives of Mississippi man jailed 11 years after being found incompetent file $11 million federal suit
Source: WREG (Memphis)
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Allegheny County plans an in-jail restoration program because state hospital waits are too long
Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, by Shelly Bradbury
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Texas health agency deck shows forensic patients taking a growing share of state hospital beds and a 296-day average from arrest to admission Statewide
Source: Texas Judicial Branch, by Mike Maples, Texas Health and Human Services Commission
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Utah forensic waitlist falls to 15 as hospital admissions rise after settlement Statewide
Source: KSL.com, by Wendy Leonard
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Disability Law Colorado asks court to force the state to meet competency deadlines Statewide
Source: The Gazette (Colorado Springs), by Jakob Rodgers
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Florida woman ordered to a state mental facility sat 14 months in a Polk County jail after the order was never carried out
Source: WFLA (Tampa)
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San Antonio editorial: Texas's forensic waiting list of 675 defendants outpaces planned hospital expansion
Source: San Antonio Express-News, by Express-News Editorial Board
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Maryland law sets a 10-business-day deadline for hospital admission of incompetent defendants and lets courts sanction the state Statewide
Source: Maryland General Assembly
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Utah State Hospital cuts forensic wait to 60 days, meeting first settlement target Statewide
Source: Deseret News, by McKenzie Romero
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Nebraska senator opens legislative study on missing mental health treatment for people in the criminal justice system Statewide
Source: Nebraska Legislature
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Minnesota health department memo shows jail-priority admissions under the 48-hour law jumped fivefold in four years Statewide
Source: Minnesota Department of Human Services (memo to Senate Human Services Reform Finance and Policy Committee), by Dan Kitzberger, Legislative Director, Direct Care and Treatment, Minnesota Department of Human Services
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Michigan House votes for 45-day limits on competency exams; advocacy group cites an average six-month wait Statewide
Source: Safe & Just Michigan, by Kate McCracken
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Utah's state hospital forensic unit runs full as lawmakers weigh adding beds Statewide
Source: KUER 90.1, by Whittney Evans
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D.C. Auditor review finds forensic services strained by hospital waitlists, court-ordered appearances and thin staffing Statewide
Source: Office of the D.C. Auditor, by Office of the District of Columbia Auditor (with the Council for Court Excellence)
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Michigan House Fiscal Agency analyzes bills to cap competency exam delays at the state forensic center Statewide
Source: Michigan House Fiscal Agency
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Brown budget sets $117 million for California incompetent-defendant treatment as the population grows by a third Statewide
Source: Los Angeles Times, by Jazmine Ulloa
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Auditor's follow-up: Minnesota still jails incompetent defendants while hospitals run below capacity Statewide
Source: Minnesota Office of the Legislative Auditor, by Office of the Legislative Auditor, State of Minnesota
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Alabama agrees to 30-day cap on competency wait times in federal consent decree Statewide
Source: ACLU of Alabama
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Demand for competency orders jumps again as Colorado misses its 28-day deadline Statewide
Source: The Denver Post (republished by Corrections1), by Jennifer Brown
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ProPublica traces a Mississippi teenager's nearly four-year jail wait for a psychiatric evaluation and finds 102 others waiting Statewide
Source: ProPublica, by Sarah Smith
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Court commitments to Hawaii State Hospital have more than tripled since 1997, most tied to fitness to proceed Statewide
Source: Honolulu Civil Beat, by Rui Kaneya
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Pennsylvania misses a second settlement deadline for forensic beds as Norristown residents push back and waits approach 14 months
Source: WHYY, by Laura Benshoff
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Michigan has 110 defendants waiting for competency treatment as a state facility runs short of space, newspaper investigation finds Statewide
Source: WNMU-FM (Associated Press), by Associated Press
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Arkansas State Hospital is full and understaffed while 79 Pulaski County inmates wait on forensic evaluations
Source: KARK (Little Rock)
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Michigan lawmakers propose 45-day cap on competency examinations Statewide
Source: Michigan Legislature, by Michigan House of Representatives
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Fox San Antonio investigation finds incompetent Bexar County inmates waiting months or years for state hospital beds
Source: Fox San Antonio (KABB), by Yami Virgin, Fox San Antonio
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Judge finds Washington in contempt again, this time over slow in-jail competency evaluations Statewide
Source: The Spokesman-Review (Associated Press), by Martha Bellisle (Associated Press)
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Houston Chronicle: Texas jail waits for state hospital beds balloon despite $300 million in new funding
Source: Houston Chronicle, by Keri Blakinger
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Baltimore judge holds Maryland health officials in contempt and orders new hospital beds by year-end Statewide
Source: The Baltimore Sun, by Pamela Wood
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Maryland's high court says unreasonable delay in hospital transfers can violate incompetent defendants' due process rights Statewide
Source: Maryland Judiciary, by Court of Appeals of Maryland (opinion by Judge McDonald)
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Lincoln Journal Star reports nine mentally ill defendants in Lancaster County jail awaiting regional center beds
Source: Lincoln Journal Star, by Nancy Hicks
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Mississippi's forensic unit has 35 beds and a nine-to-eleven-month wait, leaving mentally ill defendants in jail
Source: Jackson Free Press, by Arielle Dreher
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Illinois law sets 20-day deadline for state to place jail inmates found unfit for trial Statewide
Source: Cook County Sheriff's Office
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NASMHPD assessment finds forensic patients in state hospitals up 76 percent, driven by incompetency cases National
Source: National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD), by Amanda Wik, M.A.; Vera Hollen, M.A.; William H. Fisher, Ph.D.
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Judge approves Utah settlement setting wait-time limits for competency treatment Statewide
Source: KSL.com, by McKenzie Romero
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Utah settles lawsuit over competency-treatment wait times Statewide
Source: Prison Legal News, by Derek Gilna
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Inmate dies in San Luis Obispo jail while waiting for a bed; local reporting shows long jail waits for incompetent defendants
Source: Santa Maria Sun, by Chris McGuinness
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Texas inmates wait longer for state hospital treatment even after a funding increase, AP reports Statewide
Source: Houston Public Media (AP), by Associated Press
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Deseret News investigation finds Utah jails holding mentally ill defendants for months awaiting treatment Statewide
Source: Deseret News, by Daphne Chen and McKenzie Romero
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ACLU moves to reopen Pennsylvania's competency-treatment settlement, saying more than 260 defendants are stuck in jails Statewide
Source: WHYY
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ACLU tells federal court Pennsylvania's jail waits for competency beds have not improved a year after settlement Statewide
Source: ACLU of Pennsylvania (court filing), by ACLU of Pennsylvania (counsel for plaintiffs, J.H. v. Dallas, M.D. Pa.)
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Texas Senate staff analysis: bill would steer misdemeanor defendants away from state hospital restoration to cut jail waits Statewide
Source: Texas Legislature Online, by Texas Senate Research Center
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Inmates found incapable to proceed occupy most men's beds at western North Carolina's Broughton Hospital
Source: WLOS (Asheville), by Kimberly King
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Legislative Analyst warns California's IST waitlist has grown to 601 and weighs Kern County jail treatment proposal Statewide
Source: California Legislative Analyst's Office
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Judge says Washington's mental-health jail waits have gotten worse, not better Statewide
Source: The Seattle Times, by Martha Bellisle, The Associated Press
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Arkansas bill would split fitness and criminal-responsibility exams to cut jail time awaiting State Hospital evaluations Statewide
Source: Arkansas Times, by Leslie Newell Peacock
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South Carolina bill would make the mental health department reimburse counties for jailing people found unfit to stand trial Statewide
Source: South Carolina Legislature Online, by South Carolina General Assembly
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Treatment Advocacy Center models how small policy changes could shorten waits for forensic beds National
Source: Treatment Advocacy Center
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Pulaski County inmate ordered to the Arkansas State Hospital waits weeks as evaluation backlog grows
Source: KARK (Little Rock)
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Illinois jails hold defendants found unfit for trial while state hospitals report no open beds
Source: WTTW News, by Paris Schutz
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Three Alabama men found incompetent to stand trial sue the state over months-long waits for treatment in county jails Statewide
Source: Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse (University of Michigan Law School), by Plaintiffs in Hunter v. Beshear (U.S. District Court, M.D. Ala.)
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Texas jails hold a record number of accused violent offenders waiting for maximum-security hospital beds
Source: The Dallas Morning News, by Terri Langford, Naomi Martin
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Louisiana agrees to end long wait for psychiatric hospital transfers Statewide
Source: The Advocate (Baton Rouge), by Joe Gyan Jr.
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Mississippi budget cuts threaten more jail time for mentally ill as 144 people wait about 11 months for 35 forensic beds Statewide
Source: Mississippi Today, by R.L. Nave and Patsy R. Brumfield
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Colorado settles with Disability Law Colorado, agreeing to an outside consultant on competency delays Statewide
Source: The Gazette (Colorado Springs), by Jakob Rodgers
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Federal judge refuses to dismiss suit over jail waits for Louisiana defendants found incompetent Statewide
Source: U.S. District Court, Middle District of Louisiana (via GovInfo), by U.S. District Court, M.D. La.
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Washington held in contempt over jail 'waiting rooms' for mental health Statewide
Source: Nonprofit Quarterly, by Ruth McCambridge
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Mississippi man jailed nearly 11 years without trial after being found incompetent is approved for transfer to a state hospital
Source: Mississippi Free Press (AP, originally Jackson Free Press), by Associated Press
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Maryland psychiatric hospitals are full, leaving dozens of court-ordered defendants stuck in jail Statewide
Source: The Baltimore Sun, by Michael Dresser
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Virginia inspector general's review of an inmate's death flags missing records and a lost hospital transfer order
Source: Associated Press (via KSL.com), by Associated Press
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Houston misdemeanor defendants wait in jail for mental hospital transfer as forensic beds crowd out civil care
Source: Houston Press, by Meagan Flynn
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Federal judge refuses to dismiss Utah competency-wait lawsuit Statewide
Source: Justia (court opinion), by U.S. District Court, D. Utah
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Minnesota legislative auditor finds most defendants found incompetent stay in jail awaiting treatment Statewide
Source: Minnesota Office of the Legislative Auditor, by Office of the Legislative Auditor, Program Evaluation Division (project manager Joel Alter)
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Colorado's Pueblo hospital says its competency backlog is cleared after emergency spending
Source: The Gazette (Colorado Springs), by Jakob Rodgers
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Federal judge gives Washington until May to fix competency waits, saying class members were treated like boxes on a shelf Statewide
Source: The Spokesman-Review, by Rachel Alexander
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Pennsylvania settles ACLU competency-wait suit, agreeing to add treatment capacity Statewide
Source: CBS Philadelphia
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Nevada opens Stein forensic unit in Las Vegas to treat jailed defendants found incompetent
Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal, by Yesenia Amaro
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Death of a jailed man awaiting a hospital bed puts Virginia's forensic waits in focus
Source: The Virginian-Pilot, by Gary Harki
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Advocacy groups file new federal suit saying Louisiana again leaves incompetent defendants waiting in parish jails Statewide
Source: The Advocate (Baton Rouge), by Joe Gyan Jr.
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Federal judge orders Nevada to treat jailed incompetent defendants within seven days
Source: KSL.com (Associated Press), by Associated Press
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ACLU sues Pennsylvania over months-long jail waits for court-ordered competency treatment Statewide
Source: WHYY, by Bobby Allyn
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Hundreds of incompetent California defendants wait in county jails as state hospital beds run short Statewide
Source: KQED, by Scott Shafer
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Disability Law Center sues Utah over jail waits for competency treatment Statewide
Source: The Salt Lake Tribune, by Tom Harvey
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Advocates say Colorado is breaching its 2012 deal on speedy competency evaluations Statewide
Source: CBS Colorado (Associated Press), by Dan Elliott
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Las Vegas Justice Court says it lacks authority to dismiss cases of mentally ill detainees waiting for treatment
Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal, by Yesenia Amaro
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ACLU files suit over California jail waits for defendants found incompetent to stand trial Statewide
Source: ACLU of Northern California
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Clark County public defenders seek dismissals as mentally ill inmates wait 90 to 150 days for treatment
Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal, by Yesenia Amaro
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Maine health commissioner summoned to contempt hearing over delayed hospital beds for defendants found incompetent
Source: Portland Press Herald, by Scott Dolan
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Federal court rules Washington's competency delays unconstitutional Statewide
Source: Prison Legal News, by Mark Wilson
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Oklahoma's forensic hospital is full as judges press the state over inmates awaiting competency treatment
Source: Oklahoma Watch
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Spokane judge fines Eastern State Hospital for slow competency evaluations as jail waits stretch past a month
Source: The Spokesman-Review, by Rachel Alexander
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State judges begin fining Washington over jail mental-health waits Statewide
Source: HeraldNet, by Martha Bellisle, Associated Press