Mentally Ill Detainees Are Trapped in Legal Limbo, Lawsuit Says
Under New York State law, people who are too mentally ill to understand the charges against them and aid in their own defense are supposed to be restored to competency in a hospital operated by the state Office of Mental Health before their legal proceedings can continue.
But bed and staffing shortages at the hospitals have led to long delays in people receiving the care, leaving them to linger amid disorder and dangerous conditions on Rikers Island, the suit said. A class action, it was filed by the Legal Aid Society and a New York University law clinic in Federal District Court in Manhattan.
More than half the people in city custody are mentally ill, records show, and on any given day about 100 people are held on Rikers Island while awaiting transfer to be restored to competency, the suit said.
The average wait time for a bed is about two and a half months, the suit said. Some wait longer: In 2024, 130 people spent more than 100 days on waiting lists for the treatment.
In some cases, the long delays have proved fatal. At least five people who have died after being held on Rikers Island since 2021 had been ordered to be restored to competency, the suit said.
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That's why I want you to know what's really going on in college and what you can do to keep yourself safe and healthy. This is the no-judgment, real-world talk that everyone deserves to hear before swiping right in college — or anywhere. First, don't believe everything you hear in your dorm, at the dining hall or at keg-fueled parties. While students will hear that 'everyone' is hooking up, that's not true. Nearly 52% percent of college students reported having vaginal intercourse within the last year, according to the 2024 American College Health Association National College Health Assessment. That means 48% did not. And it's not all consensual sex. True consent is clear, enthusiastic, ongoing, verbalized, freely given and able to be withdrawn at any time. Students often feel pressured to be more physically intimate to fit in. Thirteen percent of undergrads report 'nonconsensual sexual contact by physical force or inability to consent,' according to the Association of American Universities. Intoxicated or high individuals cannot give consent, yet many hookups happen under the influence. Many students have tearfully shared that they 'just wanted to get it over with' or chose oral or anal sex to stay a 'technical virgin.' Some feel guilt or regret, while others are fully comfortable with their physical intimacy but are shocked by an STI or pregnancy diagnosis. When a student comes in concerned about a genital rash, blisters, discharge or pain with urination, STI testing is part of the workup. Students often are selective about which STI tests they want; they're often fine with checking for chlamydia and gonorrhea but decline HIV testing, because their partner is 'not that kind of person.' 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Sexually transmitted infections are mostly spread through body fluids, and some are simply shared through direct contact. If you've contracted one infection, you may have another, so you should be tested for them. Unfortunately, we frequently diagnose more than one at a time. Did you know your partner's cold sore can become your genital herpes? Cold sores are caused by herpes simplex virus type 1, or HSV-1, which is easily transmitted by direct contact from one person's oral area to another person's genitals. While herpes is probably the most common disease we see passed via oral sex, it's not the only one. Chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, human papillomavirus (HPV), herpes and less commonly, HIV, can all be spread bidirectionally from oral-genital intimacy. That means STIs can also cause throat, genital and anal infections. Barriers such as condoms or dental dams can significantly reduce your risk. (This is why flavored condoms exist.) 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Because HPV may be transmitted to a person performing oral sex, HPV also causes 60% to 70% of the roughly 60,000 oropharyngeal cancers (twice as common in men versus women) diagnosed annually in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. Human papillomavirus genital warts are not lethal, but they will make you miserable. The treatment is painful, with repeated procedures and a high risk of recurrence. Patients are often scared, embarrassed and emotionally distraught, terrified that this incurable disease will make them undesirable to any future potential partners. I cannot emphasize enough how this emotional burden (which we see with herpes and HIV as well) critically affects students' self-image, confidence and mental health. Since the HPV vaccine rollout, HPV high-risk infections (including genital warts) have fallen by up to 88% among teen girls and young women, thanks to both direct immunization and herd immunity, according to the CDC. Patients with genital warts used to fill our college clinics, and now thankfully are significantly less common. The Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Impact Monitoring Project shows that cervical precancers dropped roughly 80% in women ages 20 to 24, and researchers predict HPV vaccination can prevent over 90% of all HPV-related cancers from ever developing, according to the CDC. If you're going to have sex, be prepared before you have sex. Birth control pills are extremely effective when used correctly, but college life is filled with irregular schedules, late nights, road trip weekends and, for some people — vomiting. If pills are delayed, forgotten, missed or thrown up, the efficacy plummets. Adding condoms not only decreases your risk of conception but also adds protection against STIs. Do not, however, double up on condoms. This myth is still perpetuated, but using two condoms at once can increase your risk of breakage and failure. Numbers also matter. If you never drive or ride in a car, you'll never have a car accident. The more you drive, the higher your cumulative risk. It's math, not morality. Teens and young adults deserve more than outdated, awkward and judgmental sex talks. They need to learn how to protect their health, their future fertility and their emotional well-being while learning to live life as adults. If more students knew this information, far fewer would end up blindsided in their college medical center's exam rooms. Hookups may be part of college culture for many students, but let's normalize being open, prepared and honest about the risks. Check with your university health center to learn more about prevention, screening and treatment. Get inspired by a weekly roundup on living well, made simple. Sign up for CNN's Life, But Better newsletter for information and tools designed to improve your well-being.
