Jail designated as mental health facility

HANFORD ? Kings County supervisors voted Tuesday to allow treatment of mentally ill patients in the county jail.

The move allows medications and other services to be provided to people who may be mentally unfit to stand trial.

The problem is that more and more mentally dysfunctional defendants are flooding the jail, many for infractions related to substance abuse. Those prisoners the judge orders to be evaluated to determine if they are fit to stand trial can languish for more than six months in jail before a bed space opens up at Atascadero State Hospital. State hospital staff can fully evaluate the prisoners and return them to Kings County if they?re deemed competent.

Before Tuesday?s decision, the prisoners couldn?t be given medication by jail staff unless they specifically requested it. Since many are unfit to even make the request, jail staff can now prescribe medication and administer it against the person?s will if necessary.

?It?s going to allow us to treat these inmates sooner and keep them hopefully stable,? said Kings County Sheriff Dave Robinson. ?It really helps keep inmates safe, but also our staff.?

The problem was exacerbated when the state started a realignment program last year to keep nonserious felons out of state prison and in county lockups, Robinson said. There is no inpatient mental facility in Kings County where then can be fully evaluated.

?It really comes down to lack of mental health beds in the state of California,? Robinson said.

?We know that we?re sorely lacking in mental health treatment facilities,? said Brenda Randle, a program manager for Kings County Behavioral Health. ?We?re still working on trying to get holding beds for folks.?

The county needs money for more bed space in the jail and more space for treatment programs such as drug rehabilitation, Robinson said. He hopes to get financial aid through SB 1022, passed last year to provide more money to counties for expanding facilities and programs for offenders.

?The state has shifted the burden of care from the state system to the county system,? Randle said. ?Now it?s up to us to ensure that we capture people before they get out into society without proper treatment.?

Robinson called better mental health treatment ?almost at the top of the list in terms of priorities.?

?We want to do as much as possible to keep these inmates from coming back into custody,? he said. ?We want to move forward with a better, well-rounded plan.?

The reporter can be reached at 583-2432 or snidever@HanfordSentinel.com.

Source: http://www.hanfordsentinel.com/news/local/892dce2c-4a1b-11e2-994e-0019bb2963f4.html

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