Public raises health and detention concerns tied to preventive-detention statute during Strafford delegation meeting

Several people used the delegation’s public-comment period to urge legislators to reconsider the county and state policies that place individuals into preventive detention while they await trial, raising specific concerns about the physical and medical welfare of detainees.

A public commenter described her husband’s recent experience: after intervening in a reported theft, he was arrested and later charged in an unrelated allegation and placed into preventive detention under the statute cited by the speaker as “RSA 5 97 2.” The commenter said her husband lost substantial weight while detained and had trouble receiving his prescribed medications and appropriate food; she described a medical decline and appealed to the delegation for help. She asked the delegation to pursue changes to the statute so that county corrections staff and local judges can take medical vulnerability into account when deciding whether to continue preventive detention.

Speakers and members discussed the limited local authority over state criminal statutes and noted that legislative changes would need to move through the state process. Several delegation members expressed sympathy for the family’s circumstances and advised coordination with the county corrections and county attorney’s offices when medical or medications issues arise in detention.

The item prompted notes from county staff explaining that current statute language ties responsibility for medical care of incarcerated persons to the holding jurisdiction while they remain in county custody; that legal framework is a reason county officials have repeatedly sought Medicaid help and other cost-reducing measures for medically expensive cases. The delegation did not take formal action on the statute during the meeting but several members said they would review the issue and consider whether to propose legislation or a delegation-level statement to state representatives.