Ryan Sullivan has worked as a public defender in Oklahoma County for more than a decade. His office often represents clients who need mental health and educational services before they can stand trial. But recently, fighting to get them to those services has become almost half of his job.
During the wait for court-ordered treatment to begin, Sullivan said, the prosecution process stalls.
“Nothing is happening on their case,” he said. “They’re just being detained, waiting. They can’t face their charges. The state can’t prosecute them.”…