Richardson, Texas — An Austin federal judge has ordered a Texas health agency to move every jail detainee found mentally unfit for trial into a state psychiatric facility within three weeks, a ruling that targets long waits for mental health care behind bars.
U.S. District Judge David Ezra issued the requirement as part of a court injunction in a federal class-action case over people held in county jails for extended periods while awaiting transfer to a state hospital where their competency can be restored. Under Texas law, defendants deemed unable to stand trial must receive psychiatric care to restore their competency before criminal proceedings can move forward.
The Dallas County Jail is among the local detention facilities affected. Across Texas, county jails have long served as holding places for people whose court cases are paused because they are too mentally ill to participate, with waits for a state hospital bed stretching for months in many cases.
Richardson is a city in Dallas and Collin counties, north of Dallas.