Four-Month Wait for 40 Percent of South Carolina Jail Detainees Needing Psychiatric Evaluation
A backlog in court-ordered psychological evaluations had stranded 136 South Carolina detainees in jail by the end of September 2024, nearly 40% of them held over 120 days. Waiting on admission to the state’s forensic psychiatric hospital, some had spent as long as eight months in jail, making their mental health conditions only worse.
The backlog was driven by a surge in the number of court-ordered mental competency evaluations from 964 in 2021 to 1,340 by 2023. The state Department of Mental Health (DMH) has struggled to keep pace, transitioning beds to handle short-term admissions, leaving fewer available for long-term restoration care. But according to Dr. Kelly Gothard, DMH Director of Forensic Services, prolonged jail stays worsen psychiatric conditions and make treatment more challenging and costly.
Capacity issues have plagued the system for over two decades, despite converting civil hospital beds for forensic patients and establishing jail-based restoration programs. DMH Director of Executive Projects Mark Binkley warned that demand for forensic beds is reducing capacity for indigent civil patients, as funds are diverted to meet forensic demands.
DMH has requested nearly $14 million in fixed yearly funds to expand forensic services, including more jail-based competency restoration programs and additional inpatient beds. Gov. Henry McMaster (R) has also acknowledged the need for more funding, putting the ball squarely before state lawmakers to ensure that mentally ill pretrial detainees don’t lose their minds while wasting away in jail cells.
Source: Charleston Post and Courier
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