– The average waiting time for court-ordered mental health treatment for unfit-to-stand-trial arrested Missourians has reached 8 months.
– Despite this seemingly long duration, the director of Behavioral Health in the state recognized it as ‘good news’.
– The delays have severe consequences for the incarcerated mentally ill individuals, from deterioration in their mental health to straining the resources of local jails.
Exorbitant wait times pose a challenge for Missouri’s mental health handling
Missourians arrested and deemed unfit to stand trial are now languishing in jail for an average of eight months before receiving court-ordered mental health treatment. According to the Nora Bock, director of the Missouri Department of Mental Health’s Division of Behavioral Health, this is surprisingly, a development in the right direction.
Long waits, dire consequences
The protracted waiting durations have profound repercussions. There has been a noted deterioration in the mental health of these individuals, associated with a consequent straining of the resources of local jails.
Furthermore, the extended stay in a jail environment, as opposed to a mental health facility, exacerbates the mental health issues these individuals grapple with. The typical jail environment is ill-equipped for specialized mental health care, thus further compounding the crisis.
Dire need for a solution
The glaring problem necessitates the need for actionable strategies to curtail the processing lapse. Introducing efficient mental health intervention strategies, scaling up mental health facilities and enforcing stringent mental health care policies are among the viable solutions.
The Breezy Take
While it’s commendable that Missouri’s Mental Health Department acknowledges the court-ordered treatment delays for individuals unfit to stand trial, the fact remains that an eight-month waiting period is a substantial amount of time, especially for those grappling with mental health issues. The dire need for mental health facilities and prompt intervention cannot be overstated in this context, as any lapse on the judicial or medical front inadvertently compounds the individual’s disease burden. Moreover, overlooking the mental health care requirements within jails further exacerbates the problem, galvanizing the urgent need for action.
Original article: https://missouriindependent.com/2023/09/20/missourians-wait-an-average-of-8-months-in-jail-for-court-ordered-mental-health-services/