Why This Obscure Court Process Is Costing the County $83K and Counting

When someone who is clearly mentally unstable gets charged with a crime, everything shuts down and they get sent to competency court — basically, you have to be considered mentally fit to help your defense attorney, know right from wrong, and stand trial. In Nevada, you’re supposed to get mental health treatment within one week of your competency hearing. But delays in this system have some defendants serving weeks or even months in jail without treatment — two have even died before getting help. Today, host Dayvid Figler talks with Review-Journal reporter Katelyn Newberg, who recently wrote about the fines that the Division of Public and Behavioral Health is stacking up ($83,000 and counting) as they continue to defy court orders.

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