Missouri Supreme Court Chief Justice Mary Rhodes Russell delivers the State of the Judiciary to the Joint Session of the General Assembly on Feb. 7, 2024 (Tim Bommel/Missouri House Communications).
The number of people languishing in county jails for court-ordered mental health treatment before trial is a problem that must be addressed, both for the well-being of the inmates and their communities but also to make sure justice is fairly administered, Missouri Supreme Court Chief Justice Mary Russell told a joint session of the state legislature Wednesday.
In many counties, she said, the jail is the largest local mental health facility.
“Jails should be used in the short term to detain people accused of crimes or found guilty of minor crimes,” Russell said in the annual State of the Judiciary speech. “Concrete cell blocks are not conducive for treating mental health or addiction issues.”
At the beginning of March 2023, there were 229 people in county jails deemed incompetent to stand trial, with court orders for treatment. As of this week, that number is 297 and growing, Department of Mental Health Director Val Huhn told the House Budget Committee Monday . “We’re going to be at 500 by the end of the year,” she said. “And it’s probably going to be 1,000 individuals long before we’re at 100 individuals.”