When Kenneth Hass was languishing in a seclusion room at Oregon State Hospital in October 2024, a social worker paid him a visit and wrote a report about what he saw.
Among the social worker’s observations: Hass habitually urinated and defecated in his bed. He had never been out of seclusion for more than 48 hours at a time due to his mental health and how it affected his interactions with others.
Hospital staff speculated he may have had an unknown brain injury or other undiagnosed condition in addition to his official diagnosis of schizophrenia with paranoia and delusional beliefs. Hass’ condition had not “markedly improved” since his admission in March 2023 on a civil commitment order. (In 2022, he also had been in Oregon State Hospital for evaluations due to criminal charges that were dismissed after he was found unfit to proceed.)…