The district attorneys from Multnomah, Clackamas and Washington counties are “sounding the alarm” over a federal judge’s ruling that further restricts admissions at Oregon’s psychiatric hospital and are calling on Gov. Tina Kotek to intervene.
“We have watched with great frustration as Oregon’s mental health system fails to provide essential treatment and support,” they wrote. “The result of this breakdown is visible on our streets and in our criminal justice system.”
On June 1, U.S. District Judge Adrienne Nelson issued a ruling in a long-running case that began in 2002 over the admission of criminal defendants unable to aid and assist in their own defense to the state psychiatric hospital. Nelson found that court-issued fines hadn’t addressed a growing backlog of defendants waiting in jail to move to the state hospital for treatment…