Title
Initiate contract negotiations for the Sheriff's Office with the California Department of State Hospitals and California Forensic Medical Group to host a Jail Based Competency Treatment Program in the Monterey County Jail. (CORRECT VERSION OF BOARD REPORT ADDED VIA SUPPLEMENTAL)
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors support the Sheriff's Office, CAO's Office, and County Counsel's Office to pursue state funding and begin negotiating a contract with California Forensic Medical Group (CFMG) for a Jail Based Competency Treatment (JBCT) Program in the Monterey County Jail.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION::
County Jails throughout the State of California house large numbers of offenders that have been deemed incompetent to stand trial (IST). There is a lack of sufficient state hospital beds to treat these offenders on a timely basis. To help address the lack of capacity, the Department of State Hospitals (DSH) started contracting jail beds in various counties to expand treatment capacity for IST inmates.
The JBCT program is designed to provide treatment to patients who are accused of a felony and lack the mental competency to assist in their own legal defense. Declared by a judge to be incompetent to stand trial pursuant to CA Penal Code Section 1370, these patients would otherwise be treated at a state hospital to restore their competency and enable them to face the charges against them. Due to limited hospital beds for treating ISTs, however, DSH has added capacity through the JBCT as part of its continuum of care.
DSH launched the first Jail-Based Competency Treatment program (JBCT) in 2010 at the San Bernardino County jail. Since then, similar programs have been established at the jails in Riverside and Sacramento counties. Last year, an additional JBCT opened in the Sonoma County Jail; plus, Stanislaus County Jail just opened a new JBCT this year. DSH still needs additional capacity, and continues to expand JBCT services to ne...
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