New challenge over jailing of mentally ill filed by ACLU of Pennsylvania
By Staff Reporter | Apr 12, 2019 02:38 AM EDT
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Pennsylvania filed a new complaint against the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) Tuesday over the jailing of mentally ill individuals.
The new complaint comes several years after the ACLU of Pennsylvania first brought "a lawsuit on behalf of people who have been found too mentally ill to stand trial but who are housed in jails instead of healthcare facilities." The lawsuit was originally filed in 2015, "when some people who were found incompetent to stand trial were spending a year or more in jails before being transferred to hospitals." While wait times have decreased, "many patients are still waiting four months or more in jails for treatment."