Beds for Mentally Ill Inmates an Administration Priority

Reducing the psychiatric bed wait list for mentally ill inmates in local jails is a top priority of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene according to Governor Larry Hogan. The Governor plans to work with the Department to address the crisis.

As reported in The Washington Post:

Hogan said the issue is the “No. 1 priority” of agency Secretary Van Mitchell, who has described the scarcity of psychiatric beds for inmates as a crisis.

In early March, there were 49 inmates waiting to get into one of the state’s five forensic hospitals. In two months, that number increased by 71 percent to 84 inmates.

“The state health department is focused on it,” Hogan said, when asked about the issue during a news conference on another topic. Hogan did not commit to providing the department increased funding, noting that his next budget proposal is more than six months away.

For more information read the full article in The Washington Post. 

The crisis of mentally ill individuals in jail will be discussed at the 2016 MACo Summer Conference session “Mentally Ill and Incarcerated: A Criminal Justice Crisis“.

Learn more about MACo’s Summer Conference: