State launching program to increase access to forensic fitness evaluations
The state is offering incentives to local providers to conduct community based court-ordered forensic fitness evaluations with a $7.5 million investment announced Friday to help address the backlog of cases in the state.
Mental health professionals conduct court-ordered forensic fitness evaluations to determine a person’s mental state and if they are fit to stand trial.
Increased access to the evaluations reduces the reliance on the Montana State Hospital for evaluations, Department of Public Health and Human Services Director Charlie Brereton said in a statement. Most evaluations up to this point have been conducted by one psychiatrist at the Forensic Mental Health Facility in Warm Springs.
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