The standard of mental health care for inmates in Arizona remains a matter of serious concern and an argument for alternatives. Recently, a judge accused the state over the standard of its mental health care for inmates.
In November, a judge examining a legal settlement related to the standard of health care in Arizona prisons warned an agreement the state reached four years ago faces being thrown out.
An Associated Press report noted U.S. District Judge Roslyn Silver issued an order that the state was ill-advised in defending its noncompliance with mental healthcare standards for inmates.
The judge raised the prospect of throwing out a four-year agreement and resuming litigation over the standard of inmate care in Arizona.
The judge made her comments following evidence the state has failed to make a range of improvements it was meant to implement after a 2014 lawsuit brought by prisoners.
Under the terms of the agreement, Arizona was supposed to ensure newly prescribed medications are provided to inmates within two days. Medical providers in prisons were ordered to tell inmates about the results of diagnostic studies and pathology reports within five days of receiving the records.
The lawsuit claimed Arizona’s 10 state-run facilities failed to meet fundamental requirements for providing adequate medical and mental health care to inmates. Some prisoners complained that serious diseases like cancer went undetected. The court heard allegations some prisoners were instructed to pray to be cured.
Five months before Judge Silver’s comments, U.S. Magistrate Judge David Duncan found Arizona Corrections Director Charles Ryan in contempt of civil court. He fined Arizona $1.4 million for failing to make the bulk of the improvements to prisoner care promised when the class-action lawsuit was settled in 2014, reported AP. According to reports. Arizona paid the fine and was reimbursed by a private company that provides health care in state prisons.
Judge Silver said the court was not inclined to allow non-compliance with the provisions of the lawsuit.
As a criminal defense lawyer who represents the mentally ill, I believe everyone deserves a fair trial in the Arizona court system. In Arizona, both the criminal justice and the prison systems often fail those with mental illnesses.
The rights of all people who come before the criminal justice system must be protected. Our law firm considers the alternatives to incarceration for people who are at a disadvantage compared to others. Please contact us today for a free consultation if you or a family member has been charged with a crime.
