The state has reached an agreement with the American Civil
Liberties Union of Pennsylvania in
a case alleging that hundreds of people with mental illness were left
in county jails across the commonwealth for far longer than is constitutional, reported May Wilson of Newsworks.
A federal judge still must approve the terms of the
deal in a meeting Wednesday morning, according to the ACLU and a spokeswoman
with the state Department of Human Services.
ACLU-Pennsylvania Legal Director Vic Walczak said the next
question is how quickly the state can move defendants into mental health
treatment.
"Keeping them in jail is really just cruel," said
Walczak. "Many of them do not get better, and some of them get
significantly worse, and some percentage of those get so much worse that they
can't get back to the baseline once they get into a hospital."
The ACLU of Pennsylvania filed the suit in October, alleging
the state was violating the constitutional rights of criminal defendants with
mental illness.
When people with mental illness are criminally charged, they
must receive treatment to see if they could aid in their own defense. Federal
courts have ruled that defendants shouldn't be left waiting for hospitalization
for more than a week. The ACLU of Pennsylvania alleged that in Pennsylvania some
people were left in jail for more than a year.
A closed-door meeting with federal Judge Sylvia Rambo is set
for Wednesday at 9 a.m. A press conference is scheduled for 10:30 a.m.
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