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Competency restoration often best performed on outpatient basis

Dallas County is experimenting with outpatient competency restoration for some mentally ill people charged with misdemeanors, rather than hold them all in the county jail until space opens up at the state hospital. Reports Jennifer Emily at the Dallas News ("Program for mentally ill offenders offers compassion in court," April 12):Nonviolent mentally ill defendants can now seek treatment to regain competency ? the ability to help their attorneys with their defense ? on an outpatient basis instead of waiting four to six months in the Dallas County Jail for a bed at a state hospital where they are stabilized enough to assist in their cases. ...Last year the pilot program saved the county $300,000 by not housing the defendants in jail, Skemp said...continue to full post

Full post as published by Grits for Breakfast on April 13, 2010 (boomark / email).