{"id":8290,"date":"2025-12-16T09:00:10","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T15:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/16\/missouri-lawmakers-vow-to-tackle-mental-health-backlog-as-hundreds-languish-in-jails-2\/"},"modified":"2025-12-16T09:00:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T15:00:10","slug":"missouri-lawmakers-vow-to-tackle-mental-health-backlog-as-hundreds-languish-in-jails-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/16\/missouri-lawmakers-vow-to-tackle-mental-health-backlog-as-hundreds-languish-in-jails-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Missouri lawmakers vow to tackle mental health backlog as hundreds languish in jails"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

The average number of people awaiting placement by the Missouri Department of Mental Health in psychiatric hospitals for treatment to allow them to stand trial has steadily increased, nearing 500 in October (Caspar Benson\/Getty Images).<\/p>\n

State lawmakers are seeking solutions to a growing backlog of jailed Missourians awaiting help from the Missouri Department of Mental Health to move their cases forward.<\/span><\/p>\n

These Missourians have been charged but not convicted of crimes, and they were found incompetent to stand trial due to mental health disorders or cognitive disabilities. State law requires the department to provide services and treatment to help them. But in October, the average number of people on the waitlist reached a new high of 487.<\/span><\/p>\n

Several bills filed ahead of the 2026 legislative session seek to reduce the backlog or build out options to get treatment for people with serious mental illnesses outside of jail. Some stakeholders say the bills have loopholes, but their sponsors maintain they will amp up discussion between lawmakers and the department about the roots of the problem and how the legislature can help.<\/span><\/p>\n

Two bills add requirements or consequences for the department. State Rep. Jeff Vernetti, a Republican from Camdenton, filed a <\/span>bill<\/span><\/a> that would require the department to reimburse jails for housing people on the waitlist at a rate of $200 per person, per day, as well as the cost of medication.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Another <\/span>bill<\/span><\/a>, sponsored by state Rep. Brian Seitz, a Republican from Branson, would impose a 45-day deadline on the department to conduct court-ordered evaluations and require the department to transfer people ruled incompetent to a hospital within another 45 days. The bill would also require the department to submit annual reports to the General Assembly on competency restoration.<\/span><\/p>\n

Seitz said a key goal of his bill is to bring the department and lawmakers together in conversation to identify solutions.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis will open the dialogue to [say], \u2018We see there\u2019s a problem, let\u2019s diagnose the problem and solve the problem,\u201d Seitz said. \u201cAnd I think creating deadlines like I did in the legislation and then requiring an annual report will show us where the problem lies.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Vernetti said the entire state \u201chas to do a better job of finding ways to get people the help that they need.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u2018Warehoused in jails\u2019: State accused of denying mental health services to incarcerated Missourians<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

A <\/span>bill<\/span><\/a> filed by a pair of Democrats \u2014 state Rep. Aaron Crossley of Independence and state Sen. Maggie Nurrenbern ofKansas City \u2014 seeks to establish guidelines for court-ordered involuntary outpatient treatment before a person gets a criminal charge.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The state\u2019s framework for competency restoration \u2014 treatment and services designed to allow defendants to have their day in court \u2014 has been moving away from department-run psychiatric hospitals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A 2023 law authorized the department to offer jail-based competency restoration services and also allowed outpatient treatment for people who could be safely released on bond. The department launched four jail-based pilot programs in St. Louis city and county, as well as Clay and Jackson counties, but law enforcement officials involved in those pilots have <\/span>reported<\/span><\/a> mixed results.<\/span><\/p>\n

Crossley said his bill, which delineates a process for courts to assess whether involuntary treatment is necessary and for the person to respond, is designed to \u201cmake sure that we\u2019re not forcing people into a situation that is against their will unless it\u2019s absolutely necessary.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He said it could also help slow the growth of the waitlist for competency restoration services by helping people get treatment earlier.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re talking about getting people help as early as we can,\u201d Crossley said, \u201cand we know that when we help people with any health care issue, the earlier the better, and the more restored they will be to live dignified lives in the community.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Nurrenbern said the bill would lay out a pathway to get treatment for people with serious mental health conditions who would be better served outside of a psychiatric hospital.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs we look at this from a state perspective, I think one of the things that should be compelling to individuals is that this is a more efficient model,\u201d Nurrenbern said, \u201cthat it can be a more fiscally responsible model, and it can be a model that can be used to ensure that we\u2019re also not breaking individuals\u2019 constitutional rights.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/b><\/p>\n

A persistent problem<\/h4>\n

\t<\/p>\n

The department has long acknowledged the growing number of Missourians who are waiting for a hospital bed to move their cases toward trial or dismissal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Months before the filing in November of a federal class action <\/span>lawsuit<\/span><\/a> against the department, Mental Health Director Valerie Huhn in May <\/span>told<\/span><\/a> lawmakers on the House Health and Mental Health Committee that the waitlist left the state vulnerable to litigation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI just wanted to make everybody aware of some of the risks that we know we\u2019re taking on because we can\u2019t get these individuals from jail into our state operated hospitals,\u201d Huhn said in May. \u201cObviously their illness is worse, and as their treatment is delayed, that makes it harder for us to turn them around.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr. Jeanette Simmons, the department\u2019s deputy director, <\/span>told The Independent<\/span><\/a> in October that the <\/span>waitlist is growing because courts are requesting more competency evaluations and the department has a static number of hospital beds.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs that number continues to increase, I\u2019m not surprised that the number of folks found incompetent increases,\u201d Simmons said. \u201cIt clearly correlates together.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The department maintains that everyone on the waitlist is getting help.<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to the jail-based pilot programs, the department<\/span> indicated<\/span><\/a> in October that two mobile teams of clinicians that visit jails statewide helped 117 people attain competency last year.<\/span><\/p>\n

But the jail-based programs have met roadblocks.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sarah Boyd, spokesperson for the Clay County Sheriff\u2019s Office, said Friday that the agency is terminating its agreement with the department in January.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur goal in participating in this pilot program was to reduce the number of Clay County inmates awaiting placement in a Missouri Department of Mental Health facility,\u201d Boyd said, \u201cand that did not happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Boyd said the number of people awaiting hospital placement in the jail stayed steady at 7-8 people during the pilot and that the compensation the jail received from the department did not cover the cost of dedicating a pod to competency restoration.<\/p>\n

Returning that pod to full occupancy, Boyd said, \u201cwill save hundreds of thousands of dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n

The sheriff\u2019s office will continue working with mental health staff the department had contracted as part of the pilot program, Boyd said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted to be part of a broader solution, but in the current form of this program, it didn\u2019t work out,\u201d Boyd said.<\/p>\n

<\/b><\/p>\n

Proposed solutions<\/h4>\n

\t<\/p>\n

Cape Girardeau County Jail Administrator Richard Rushin said his agency built two mental health pods in the new jail opened in September, partly because the jail is expected to house people awaiting services from the state\u2019s mental health department.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rushin estimated that the pods, which contain 28 single-bed cells with cameras, cost $7.5 million of the $54 million the sheriff\u2019s office spent on the jail.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rushin said he supports Vernetti\u2019s jail reimbursement bill partly because of the cost of housing people with acute mental health needs, including medications and extra staff.<\/span><\/p>\n

Taney County Sheriff Brad Daniels said \u201cit wouldn\u2019t hurt to get some of those funds back from housing the inmates.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut to me, that\u2019s not the big thing,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m not in this job to make money off of housing prisoners. I feel like we need to get them the help that they need so that they can move on.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
State Rep. Jeff Vernetti, a Republican from Camdenton, speaks during Missouri House debate on Feb. 27 (Tim Bommel\/Missouri House Communications).<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Vernetti said \u201cthe money is not the motivation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is about the discussion on the issue,\u201d Vernetti said, \u201cbecause I think that if we just threw money at the current problem, that\u2019s only continuing the problem.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Daniels said he likes that Seitz\u2019s bill would give the department a 45-day deadline to place someone in a hospital.<\/span><\/p>\n

In recent weeks, Daniels said, the department has been taking about two weeks to complete competency evaluations, often via telehealth. That\u2019s an improvement, he said, but wait times for a hospital bed are still long.<\/span><\/p>\n

Of the seven people in his jail who have been ruled incompetent, Daniels said on Wednesday, one has been waiting over 14 months for hospital care.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOnce they\u2019ve been determined to be incompetent,\u201d Daniels said, \u201cwe need to get them out of here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Rushin said he would support the 45-day deadlines Seitz\u2019s bill imposes on the department \u201cif [the bill] would actually hold them accountable for that.\u201d But he doubts the department would meet the deadlines.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI hate to sound negative, but right now, all they have to do is keep asking for extensions,\u201d Rushin said.<\/span><\/p>\n

While state law already requires the department to complete competency evaluations within <\/span>60 days<\/span><\/a>, the department often takes longer \u2014 an average of 75 days, according to its fiscal year 2027 budget request.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There is no law capping how long the department can take to transfer someone to a hospital.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rushin said that many of the people who have been jailed and ruled incompetent in his county were charged with misdemeanors like trespassing.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf they plead guilty upon the first hearing with an attorney present, they might get 30 or 60 days, [or they] might get six months,\u201d Rushin said. \u201cYet they end up going about 18 months to two plus years through this process because of the backup.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s gotten to the point, he said, where \u201cthere\u2019s no due process anymore for these lower-lying laws, which is a violation of their rights.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/b><\/p>\n

Money matters<\/h4>\n

\t<\/p>\n

Addressing the underlying causes of the backlog, Nurrenbern said, comes down to funding.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDepartments have been telling us to do more to increase wages, and we haven\u2019t done that,\u201d she said. \u201cUnless we spend significant state resources to invest in our workforce in the Department of Mental Health and Department of Health and Senior Services\u2026we\u2019re not going to do anything to be able to alleviate the gaps that exist there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Seitz and Vernetti underlined a need to keep the department accountable in its spending.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe spent money on the mental health department,\u201d Seitz said. \u201cI\u2019m sure they do a great job in very many areas, but this is one area seemingly that people have fallen through the cracks.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Vernetti said a shortage of hospital beds \u201cwould be the wrong answer [for the department] to give.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen we\u2019re going to start looking at their budget and seeing, \u2018OK, let\u2019s maybe move some of your budget from an area that you\u2019re not spending all of it, or maybe not spending it wisely,\u201d Vernetti said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Daniels and Rushin said they hope lawmakers\u2019 attention to the backlog of people awaiting mental health services in jails will yield solutions.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey don\u2019t deserve to be living like that,\u201d Daniels said. \u201cThey need to get the help that they need so that they can either be found guilty or not guilty of the crime that they have allegedly committed, and get on with their lives or serve their time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The average number of people awaiting placement by the Missouri Department of Mental Health in psychiatric hospitals for treatment to allow them to stand trial has steadily increased, nearing 500 in October (Caspar Benson\/Getty Images). State lawmakers are seeking solutions to a growing backlog of jailed Missourians awaiting help from the Missouri Department of Mental…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8291,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8290","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nMissouri lawmakers vow to tackle mental health backlog as hundreds languish in jails - WestplexNews.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/16\/missouri-lawmakers-vow-to-tackle-mental-health-backlog-as-hundreds-languish-in-jails-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Missouri lawmakers vow to tackle mental health backlog as hundreds languish in jails - WestplexNews.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The average number of people awaiting placement by the Missouri Department of Mental Health in psychiatric hospitals for treatment to allow them to stand trial has steadily increased, nearing 500 in October (Caspar Benson\/Getty Images). 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