Federal judge in Seattle orders end to long jail holds for mentally ill

A U.S. federal judge ordered Washington state on Thursday to end long jail terms for criminal defendants awaiting mental competency exams, after ruling last year that such actions had violated the U.S. Constitution. U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman ordered an injunction requiring that such inmates receive competency services within seven days, adding in her 25-page order that a monitor would be appointed to oversee the ruling. "Washington is violating the constitutional rights of some of its most vulnerable citizens," Pechman wrote. "Our jails are not suitable places for the mentally ill to be warehoused while they wait for services.



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