How some police, attorneys, and jails are trying to help Pa.’s ailing system for mentally ill people

A decades-old Pennsylvania law is supposed to protect people with mental health issues from prosecution if they cannot understand the legal system and cannot aid in their own defense, but a recent investigation found that instead, that very system often traps them in jail., published by Spotlight PA and the Pittsburgh Institute for Nonprofit Journalism, found the state’s “competency” review system is so broken it often extends incarceration, which can exacerbate mental health issues.

Previously, officers responding to a person in crisis might have engaged in “mercy booking,” Cunningham said, to try to get someone clearly suffering from a mental health or addiction issue in front of a judge who can order treatment. “We’re always looking for partners, ways to pay for this to make it self-sustaining,” Cunningham said.Defense attorneys across Pennsylvania told Spotlight PA and PINJ the state competency system is so broken, they routinely avoid it.

The Defender Association has done training for public defenders in other counties, but without the same level of resources or relationships, their system is difficult to replicate.Jails The team would provide treatment outside the state hospitals and cut down on the amount of time people remain incarcerated for mental health issues.

Source: Law Daily Report (lawdailyreport.net)

Reagan killed that decades ago.....reopen Byberry

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