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Cowlitz County corrections officials say rising mental-health detentions strain jail capacity, affect transfers to state hospital
Summary
County corrections staff told commissioners the jail is treating a growing number of people with serious mental-health needs, with 22 patients at Western State Hospital and limited single cells and pods reducing booking capacity for other arrests and DOC holds.
Ren Fox, director of corrections, told the Cowlitz County commissioners that the jail’s population includes a growing number of people with serious mental-health needs, and that the county currently has 22 people at Western State Hospital.
That caseload and the jail’s housing layout have reduced capacity for routine bookings and for some Department of Corrections (DOC) holds, Fox said, and the county has previously restricted bookings when the balance tipped. “We currently don't have any booking restrictions, but we have had to restrict bookings in the past when that gets off balance,” Fox said.
Why it matters: County officials said mentally ill detainees sometimes must be held apart in single cells or separate pods; because many jail cells are intended for multiple occupants, isolating one person can remove several beds from service. Fox said the jail has roughly 76 cells in total and about 10–11…
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