Prison time for mentally ill

Prisoner health advocates have criticized California’s practice of holding those considered incapable of standing trial due to mental illness in prison to wait for state hospital beds to become available.

Randall Hagar of the California Psychiatric Association said many inmates with serious mental-health conditions are incarcerated for three to six months while waiting for hospitalization, according to The Sacramento Bee. The percentage of California prison inmates with mental illness has increased from 19 percent to 25 percent since 2007, while budget cuts, fewer hospital beds and realignment of low-level offenders to county jails has complicated the issue.

San Bernardino County has introduced a pilot program that provides medication and education services to restore competency rather than waiting for hospital treatment.