ALLEGHENY COUNTY — Allegheny County officials are pushing to create a team that will treat people considered “not competent to stand trial.”
County officials say the new team would provide those people with behavioral health services and provide an alternative to treatment at Torrance State Hospital. The alternative option would be available for people considered capable of showing competency in other settings.
“Currently, inpatient treatment at Torrance State Hospital is the only option for individuals who are found not competent to stand trial. There are long wait times that cause longer stays in jail and further impact those individuals incarcerated here,” said Warden Orlando Harper. “Recognizing that impact, the jail worked with the Courts, Human Services, and the Public Defender’s Office on a solution that will provide support for competency restoration locally. While not the county’s responsibility, these efforts will result in fewer and shorter stays in jail while awaiting restoration, increased engagement with community treatment services, and fewer re-commitments through the system.”
The team would be called the Mobile Competency Restoration and Support Team (MCRST) and was designed by members of the Department of Human Services units of the Criminal Division of Fifth Judicial District Court.
The team will offer support designed to help eligible people and act as a community resource.
Officials hope the team will reduce the number of people held in jail when they are not in Torrance State Hospital. The hospital currently serves 48 counties and can only offer 104 beds. Those who are unable to stay at Torrance State Hospital when it is at full capacity have to stay in jail until space is made available for them. Currently, it can take up to 60 days before someone is transferred to the hospital.
The team is intended to provide people with long-term service connections, even after their treatment plan is conducted.
“While the focus of this effort is around competency restoration and reducing wait times in jail, we have designed a model that will bring additional behavioral health supports and coordination of services to some of our highest need residents,” said DHS Director Erin Dalton. “Our hope is that we can connect them to more care more quickly, help them remain engaged in care, and reduce the likelihood of them returning to jail.”
Allegheny County plans to launch the program to in the spring.
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