A federal judge has ruled that the Oregon State Hospital must limit the amount of time it can hold patients charged with crimes, in a bid to create space at the overcrowded hospital for criminal defendants who need mental health treatment but are housed in jails.
The psychiatric hospital in the state capital Salem doesn't have enough personnel or enough space to add more beds but 73 defendants are currently in jail awaiting court-mandated mental health treatment before they can stand trial, according to court filings.
