Maryland Health Department Faces Lawsuit Over Mentally Ill Criminal Defendants ‘Languishing in Jails’

A disability rights group is suing Maryland’s health secretary and health department in federal court for leaving mentally ill people accused of crimes to languish in jail rather than admitting them to psychiatric hospitals as required by state law. Filed Thursday, the lawsuit by Disability Rights Maryland claims Health Secretary Dr. Laura Herrara Scott and the Maryland Department of Health are violating the U.S. and Maryland constitutions and the Americans with Disabilities Act. The complaint seeks to address a longstanding crisis in the state that sees hundreds of defendants who are deemed too mentally ill to participate in their court cases and This article Maryland Health Department Faces Lawsuit Over Mentally Ill Criminal Defendants ‘Languishing in Jails’ first appeared on Converseer.