Wait times for people in Washington jails to get into state psychiatric facilities continue to "skyrocket" five years after a settlement promised to prevent that from happening, a court monitor told a federal judge in Seattle on Monday.
In downtown Seattle, federal Judge Marsha J. Pechman of the U.S. Western District Of Washington heard arguments in a civil dispute that's gone on for nearly 10 years, regarding the rights of people in jail to access basic mental health services. Three more days of testimony are expected as the court, state officials and advocates try to decipher a way forward after years of a settlement agreement have not fixed the problem.
In the meantime, the state has racked up millions of dollars in fines, court cases are delayed, and people with mental illnesses are stuck in jail for months, at a cost to their own health and to local jails who care for them — potentially serving more time than they would if they were sentenced criminally.
