Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
St. Mary’s County backs amicus brief to push faster transfers of incarcerated people needing state mental-health care
Summary
The St. Mary’s County commissioners voted Dec. 2 to support an amicus brief prepared by the Anne Arundel County attorney on behalf of the Maryland Correctional Administrators Association, seeking to accelerate court‑ordered transfers of incarcerated people to state mental hospitals after lengthy local wait times were described.
Commissioners of St. Mary’s County voted Dec. 2 to support an amicus brief urging faster transfers of people committed to state mental hospitals, following testimony that county detention facilities are increasingly functioning as de facto mental‑health institutions.
Morton Thompson, the presenter identified in the transcript, told the commission that local detention centers “have become de facto mental health institutions and are not designed, equipped, or staffed with the resources of mental health institution[s],” and described delays in court‑ordered transfers. He said Maryland law requires the Department of Health to accept court‑ordered commitments within 10 business days. Thompson reported that the county’s average…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
