Hanford Sentinel
Kings County supervisors voted Tuesday to allow treatment of mentally ill patients in the county jail. The move allows medications and other services to be provided to people who may be mentally unfit to stand trial. The problem is that more and more mentally dysfunctional defendants are flooding the jail, many for infractions related to substance abuse. Those prisoners the judge orders to be evaluated to determine if they are fit to stand trial can languish for more than six months in jail before a bed space opens up at Atascadero State Hospital. State hospital staff can fully evaluate the prisoners and return them to Kings County if they’re deemed competent. Before Tuesday’s decision, the prisoners couldn’t be given medication by jail staff unless they specifically requested it. Since many are unfit to even make the request, jail staff can now prescribe medication and administer it against the person’s will if necessary.
