‘Eliminate the Wait’ Program Addresses Mental Illness in Criminal Justice
The Texas program seeks to help judges, attorneys, jailers, and law enforcement officers to better address mental illness in an already-overwhelmed system
Landwebs
A new Texas campaign called Eliminate the Wait aims to protect the rights of people who struggle with mental illnesses by providing resources for judges, attorneys, jailers, and law enforcement officers to better address mental illness, divert people away from the criminal justice system when possible, and provide treatment for people already in jail which shortens the amount of time they have to spend in the inpatient competency restoration system, reports KETK.com. “Competency restoration laws were meant to help people with severe mental illness when they are unable to assist in their own defense or even understand the charges brought against them. But in Texas and many other states across the nation, this system is overwhelmed right now,” said Kristi Taylor, with the Texas Judicial Commission on Mental Health.
