Mental Health Bed Shortage Sparks Urgent Call for Legislative Action

by Trinity Gruenberg

trinity@inhnews.com

Minnesota sheriffs and county attorneys gathered on June 5 at the State Capitol to demand immediate legislative intervention in the state’s mental health treatment capacity crisis. Sheriffs and attorneys from across the state highlighted the growing problem of mentally ill individuals being held in county jails due to a severe shortage of psychiatric beds.

Sheriff Scott Habel, representing the Minnesota Sheriff’s Association, emphasized that county jails have become “warehouses for the mentally ill,” with some individuals waiting months or even over a year for appropriate treatment. The lack of capacity has resulted in the criminalization of mental illness.

Multiple speakers shared specific examples of individuals languishing in jail, unable to receive necessary mental health care.

Sheriffs and attorneys highlighted that jails are not equipped to provide mental health treatment, leading to further decompensation of individuals and increased risks of violence against staff and inmates.

Sheriff Fletcher highlighted the humanity of the issue, sharing examples of individuals waiting for years in jails, including one person who waited 37 months for a bed.

Sheriff Dawn Witt from Hennepin County shared that individuals in her jail have committed 77 assaults against detention staff, underscoring the strain on staff and the risks posed by mentally ill individuals in jail settings.

Courts mandate that individuals should wait no more than 48 hours for a psychiatric bed after civil commitment, but many wait days, weeks, or even months, with some waiting over a year.

Participants discussed the constitutional issues of holding individuals in jail without due process, as prisons are not meant to house individuals who have not been adjudicated guilty of a crime.

Magnusson explained that states have been sued over similar issues,.

The key compromise they had negotiated was to temporarily pause the 48-hour rule only if the state committed to expanding mental health treatment facilities. However, they argue that the current proposed funding ($10 million) is far below the $75 million requested in the Senate bill and that $43 million in the House bill is inadequate, as it does not represent a genuine commitment to solving the bed shortage problem...

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