People who have committed some misdemeanors or felonies and are found unable to aid and assist on their own behalf will no longer be admitted to the Oregon State Hospital, after a June 1 order from a federal judge.
For years those defendants have gone to the state psychiatric hospital, which has campuses in Salem and Junction City, for competency restoration. Patients stay, depending on the crime, for 90 days, six months or a year to receive treatment, with some extensions allowed.
Under the decision, 30 day extensions will no longer be granted and qualifications for a 180-day extension for violent felonies will become more stringent…