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Jail-based competency restoration

When a court determines that a defendant is not competent to stand trial, it often directs the defendant to inpatient treatment at the state hospital until competency is restored and they can return to the court. This is not always an efficient use of resources, and the process may take years due to long waitlists at state hospitals, which may result in jail holds until a slot opens up. Competency diversion programs provide alternative delivery of competency restoration services for people who may not require the intensive level of services offered by state hospitals.

Local Examples

Fulton County, GA Fulton County Detention Center

  • Emory University and Fulton County collaboratively operate a 16-bed, jail-based Competency Restoration Program in the Fulton County Detention Center.
  • The program includes daily psycho-educational groups and individual sessions with an emphasis on Cognitive Remediation, legal education, and medication management.
For more information on this example, see:
Type

Program

Measures

2 - Reduce length of stay
3 - Increase connection to treatment
4 - Reduce recidivism

Last updated: August 12, 2022