Washington makes major progress on crisis of mentally ill defendants stuck in jails
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Publicado 2024-08-30
Two years ago, the KING 5 Investigators’ series “Mentally Ill, Waiting in Jail,” exposed more than 500 people in the state were stuck behind bars with no treatment available and no trial on the horizon. Currently, that number is down to just 15 people.
In 2022, incarcerated patients were waiting to get transferred to a state hospital for up to nine months, while state law and a federal judge’s ruling mandated the transfer happen within seven days.
In the last few months, DSHS has met that timeframe with the average wait time now at five days.
READ MORE: www.king5.com/article/news/investigations/investig…