They argue the state has not invested enough in mental and behavioral health facilities in communities across the state, which are designed to intervene before people fall into serious crisis. The state hospital has also struggled with staffing shortages, twice requiring the National Guard to deploy to assist in patient care.Įarlier this year, the state Legislature granted the Oregon Health Authority $31 million to open 48 additional beds at its facility in Junction City, but hiring has been slow and staff retention has been difficult, Oregon Health Authority Director Patrick Allen testified in federal court last month.ĭisability advocates and state lawmakers seem to agree that simply adding more beds at the state hospital won’t solve the larger problem of admission and treatment delays. She said leaders at the Oregon Health Authority, which runs the state hospital, had made choices that resulted with people being stuck in jail for an undetermined length of time. ![]() In her initial contempt ruling, Waller rejected that argument. During a hearing last month, a federal judge signaled a likely return to the original seven-day order in the future, barring some unexpected change that dramatically worsened the pandemic.Īttorneys for the state hospital argued before Waller that the federal judge had required the hospital to prioritize aid and to assist patients over those found guilty except for insanity when it come to admissions. A ruling from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in August found the temporary order was too broad. Under a long standing federal court order, those defendants are required to be admitted to the state hospital within seven days of a judge finding them too mentally ill to aid in their criminal case.Īt the beginning of the pandemic, a federal judge modified that order, granting the hospital more leniency in part to prevent the spread of COVID-19. 22 contempt ruling is the latest in a series of challenges for the state hospital, which serves both those found guilty except for insanity and defendants who need mental health treatment during their criminal case, known as aid and assist patients. “OSH has not received expedited admission requests for the defendants you are asking about,” Seligmann said. Oregon State Hospital spokesperson Aria Seligmann said the facility has an expedited admission process for any defendant in need of immediate admission. It’s not a therapeutic environment for people who are mentally ill. “When someone’s been found guilty except for insanity, the law says they need therapy and treatment,” said Stacey Reding, a defense attorney representing one of the men awaiting admission. That number is increasing: Court documents from September showed 18 people found guilty except for insanity awaiting admission. Though the court’s ruling was localized to Multnomah County, state hospital officials said that as of Monday, there are 26 people who have been found guilty except for insanity waiting in jails across the state for admission to the state hospital to received treatment and to serve their sentence. The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office has not received any payments or invoice orders related to the contempt ruling, a spokesman for the agency said. The two men have been in jail for months, awaiting treatment. The Oregon State Hospital in Salem has again been found guilty of contempt of a court order for failing to house and treat two Multnomah County Jail inmates who were found guilty except for insanity. ![]() Waller required the fines be paid to the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, which operates the county jails, to “exclusively fund staff training for corrections staff on managing the behavioral health issues of people in custody.” “The Oregon State Hospital and the Oregon Health Authority are in contempt of court as defined under by failing to admit the defendants to OSH for treatment within seven days as mandated by the Court’s 9/22/21 written order,” Waller wrote in her latest order, dated Oct. ![]() ![]() It’s a significant increase from last month, when Waller first found the state in contempt of her ruling to transport the two men to the state hospital or pay $100 per day, per person. Judge Nan Waller ordered the state to pay $2,500 per day, per person as long as the men wait in jail.
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