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Crisis in Maryland as Mentally Incompetent Defendants Languish in County Jails
by Christopher Zoukis
When criminal defendants are found mentally incompetent to stand trial, a judge typically orders their transfer to a psychiatric hospital for treatment to restore competency. But many states struggle with a shortage of psychiatric beds, even as the number of mentally incompetent defendants has grown. So the ...
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More from this issue:
- Wisconsin Settles State Prisoner’s Lawsuits for $13,000
- Hawaii Prison System Failing to Uphold Agreement on Mental Health Care
- Settlement in Lawsuit Over Missouri Jail Prisoner’s Death, by Matthew Clarke
- Settlement after Connecticut Police Chief’s Son Assaults Handcuffed Prisoner, by Edward Lyon
- Texas Prisoners Receive Inadequate Legal Representation from State Agency, by Edward Lyon
- Ohio Death Row Prisoner Avoids Execution then Dies in Prison, by Derek Gilna
- Kansas Jail Prisoners Win Lawsuit Over Postcard-only Policy, by Edward Lyon
- Prisons Don’t Damage Only Prisoners; Guards at Risk of PTSD and Suicide, Too, by Christopher Zoukis
- Texas Prisoner in Administrative Segregation Transition Program Murders Cellmate
- Transgender Prisoner Issues Result in Litigation, Policy Changes
- Mentally Ill Colorado Prisoner Who Gouged Out His Eyes Sues Sheriff, by Edward Lyon
- Trinity Services Group Faces Complaints Due to Inadequate Prison and Jail Food, by Edward Lyon
- Guantanamo Bay Prison to Remain Open, Trump Announces, by Derek Gilna
- Idaho DOC and Corizon Held in Contempt in Long-standing Lawsuit, by Derek Gilna
- New California Parole Board Guidelines, Reforms Face Opposition, by Edward Lyon
- Ohio: Federal Lawsuit Over Jail Beating Settles for $70,000, by Christopher Zoukis
- Mississippi DOC Announces Phone Rate Cuts, by Monte McCoin
- Ninth Circuit Orders Sealing of Court Documents that Reveal Informant, by Matthew Clarke
- Kansas Prisoner Who Warned “Something is Eating my Brain” Dies of Untreated Brain Infection, by Derek Gilna
- Indiana County Pays $28,000 to Settle Prisoner’s Excessive Force Suit, by Dale Chappell
- Percentage of Americans with Felony Convictions Increases, Especially for Blacks, by Christopher Zoukis
- Federal Civil Rights Suit for California Jail Beating Settles for $100,000, by Derek Gilna
- Ohio: $275,000 Settlement in Jail Detainee’s Suicide
- Ex-cons Turn Prison Workouts into Real Jobs, Transform Lives, by Dale Chappell
- California: A Prison by any Other Name is Still a Prison, by Edward Lyon
- $100,000 Settlement in Suit Over Hawaii Guard’s Sexual Assault of Prisoner, by Matthew Clarke
- Cause of Action for Shaming Sex Therapy May Not Accrue Until after Release from Prison
- Who is in Private Prisons? New Study Provides Surprising Answers, by Christopher Zoukis
- Settlement in Federal Suit Over Treatment of Disabled Detainees in Northern California Jail, by Christopher Zoukis
- Protest Results in Three Arrests at CoreCivic’s Annual Shareholders Meeting
- Lawsuits Filed Against GEO Group for Wage Violations at Detention Facilities, by Christopher Zoukis, Matthew Clarke
- Tennessee: Jail Guard Charged with Taser Assault
- Incorrect Cause of Tennessee Prisoner’s Death Reported by CoreCivic Employees
- Mentally Incompetent Detainees Stuck in California Jails Spark Class-action Lawsuit, Fines, by Christopher Zoukis
- Lawsuit Over Rikers Island Suicide Settles for $380,000, by Christopher Zoukis
- Influenza Season Hits Nation’s Prisons and Jails, by Greg Dober
- Solitary: The Inside Story of Supermax Isolation and How We Can Abolish It, by Dr. Terry Allen Kupers (University of California Press, September 2017). 304 pages, $29.95 hardcover, by Christopher Zoukis
- Abuses at Orange County and San Bernardino Jails Cost Taxpayers Millions, by Dale Chappell
- MacAuthur Justice Center Files Lawsuit Over Missouri Parole Revocations, by Matthew Clarke
- Numerous Deaths, Sealed Settlements in North Carolina Jails, by David Reutter
- Pennsylvania DOC Bans Timberland Boots; Prisoner Files Suit Seeking Injunction, by Monte McCoin
- PLN Postcard-only Suit Against Knox County, Tennessee Settles for $87,000, by Steve Horn
- HRDC Files Censorship Suit Against Sheriff in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
- When Prisons and Jails Switch to Video Calling, by Derek Gilna
- Prison Labor: Positive Programming or Modern-day Slavery?, by Christopher Zoukis
- Guards Sentenced for Beating Prisoners at Kentucky Jail, by David Reutter
- Water at Massachusetts Prison Under Scrutiny from Prisoners, Advocates, Public Agencies, by Panagioti Tsolkas
- Wrongful Death Suit Against Tennessee Town Settles for $6,000, by Monte McCoin
- As More Prisons Shutter, Governments Wonder What to Do With Them, by Daniel C. Vock
- The Results are in: Prison Legal News Reader Survey!, by Steve Horn
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Crisis in Maryland as Mentally Incompetent Defendants Languish in County Jails, by Christopher Zoukis
- News in Brief
- While in Custody: The Fight to Stop Jail Deaths in Washington State, by Ciara O’Rourke
More from Christopher Zoukis:
- The Contraband Wars Prison authorities target books and mail, miss the goods coming through the staff door, July 1, 2021
- Trump v. Biden on Criminal Justice, Oct. 1, 2020
- Coronavirus in Prison: The Cruel Reality, Aug. 1, 2020
- With Lives of Immigrant Detainees at Risk to COVID-19, Federal Judge Forces ICE’s Hand, July 1, 2020
- A Nation on the Brink, June 15, 2020
- Federal Court Slams Michigan Jail for Bungling COVID-19 Pandemic, Demands Names of Vulnerable Prisoners for Release, June 1, 2020
- Silence: The Bureau of Prisons’ Pathetic Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, June 1, 2020
- New York Judge Orders Release of 18 Rikers Island Detainees Due to COVID-19 Risk, June 1, 2020
- Coronavirus: A Nationwide Survey of the Push for Early Release as Pandemic Fears Grow, May 1, 2020
- California Three-Judge Court Denies Emergency Motion to Reduce Prison Population During Pandemic, May 1, 2020
More from these topics:
- $1.2 Million in Settlements Reached in Suit Over Sacramento Jail Murder, May 1, 2025. Settlements, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Failure to Treat (Mental Illness).
- Nurse Charged, $2.6 Million Settlement Reached in Minnesota Jail Death, April 1, 2025. Prison/Jail Murders, Settlements, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness).
- $2.5 Million Settlement After South Carolina Jail Detainee Lost 2 Lbs.Per Day and Died, April 1, 2025. Food, Settlements, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness).
- ‘Eye Opening’ Self-Harm Found in Washington DOC Solitary Confinement, March 1, 2025. Failure to Protect (General), Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness).
- $150,000 Settlement But No Charges After Schizophrenic Florida Detainee Killed by Jail Guards, Feb. 15, 2025. Guard Misconduct, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), Failure to Treat (Mental Illness).
- DOJ Directs BOP, U.S. Marshals to Improve Suicide Prevention, Feb. 15, 2025. Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides, Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Civil Rights Violations.
- Despite Prevalence, Most ADHD Behind Bars Goes Undiagnosed and Untreated, Feb. 15, 2025. Failure to Treat (Mental Illness).
- Suits Filed Over Dehydration Deaths at Two Texas Jails, Jan. 15, 2025. Failure to Protect (General), Water, Settlements, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness).
- Four-Month Wait for 40 Percent of South Carolina Jail Detainees Needing Psychiatric Evaluation, Jan. 15, 2025. Systemic Medical Neglect, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Detainers - Generally.
- Top Doc Sacked from Maryland Psych Hospital with “Climate of Chaos”, Jan. 15, 2025. Systemic Medical Neglect, Malpractice, Staffing, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness).