Lawsuit Claims That Oklahoma Jails Fail to Treat Inmates with Mental Illness

Citing a slow process for transferring inmates out of local jails and into treatment centers, representatives of four people with mental illness are suing the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, and the Oklahoma Forensic Center.

The class-action lawsuit, which is filed in federal court, is asking that the defendants be ordered to develop a remedial plan to reduce wait times for competency restoration treatment.

In Oklahoma, competency is defined as the ability of a person arrested for or charged with a crime to understand the nature of the charges and effectively and rationally assist in his or her defense.

Read the source article at oklahoman.com