Texas’ Criminal Competence Problem – The Crime Report

In Texas, more than 2,300 people charged with crimes are waiting up to 500 days to be seen and evaluated in a psychiatric hospital, delaying trials for months or years and undermining the state’s criminal justice system, Spectrum reports. People assessed to be experiencing a mental health crisis or diagnosed with a mental illness must go through a process called competency restoration in order to stand trial. While they wait, many defendants spend months in jail, and potential victims are stalled for justice.