Washington state's system for mentally ill broken

As seen in this extensive expose on the State of Washington Mental Health System

Some of Washington's mentally ill are strapped to gurneys in emergency rooms awaiting beds in psychiatric hospitals, while others sit in jail for months waiting for competency evaluations and treatment — and some are getting trapped in both broken systems.

One court has already ruled that warehousing mentally ill patients in emergency rooms is unlawful. However, while the state tries to find solutions to its overcrowded psychiatric facilities, some of these distressed patients respond badly to the hospital settings and end up getting charged with assault.

That lands them on the jail competency wait lists — the target of a federal lawsuit that goes to trial in March

Until the state changes the way it funds services for Washington's mentally ill, these patients-turned-inmates will remain in what some call inhumane conditions — trapped in stark concrete cells peering out of tiny windows.

 It's a long article that deserves to be read.