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Sheriff and lawmaker cite 400‑day wait for inpatient mental‑health placements, seek out‑of‑county options
Summary
Sheriff Daniel Cape told commissioners the jail has people who are incompetent to stand trial waiting about 400 days for placement; Rep. Danny Mathis said he is working to allow use of a Dodge County facility and noted a 300‑bed Atlanta facility is under construction.
Sheriff Daniel Cape told the Bleckley County Commissioners on May 21 that people arrested and deemed mentally incompetent to stand trial are experiencing extreme delays for placement in appropriate treatment facilities, with the current average wait at about 400 days. He told the board the county is managing security and staffing for an out‑of‑county trial without incurring local costs, but that prolonged placement waits pose ongoing public‑safety and fiscal strains.
Representative Danny Mathis echoed the sheriff's concerns and said he is pursuing options to help Bleckley County use a facility in Dodge County. He also noted an Atlanta facility under construction that is expected to hold about 300 patients. Neither speaker provided a precise schedule for transfers or funding details; both described the situation as an ongoing effort to secure placement capacity.
