Latest news with #Beckmann
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Missourians stuck in jail waiting for mental health care up 40% from last year
The length of the waitlist is up by over 40% from a year ago and over 80% from 2023 (). The number of Missourians languishing in jail while they wait for a spot in a state-run psychiatric hospital continues to climb, with nearly 450 people stuck in limbo in need of mental health treatment. Individuals on the waitlist have been charged with crimes but not convicted. Many are detained for longer than they would be if they'd received the maximum sentence for their charges. The length of the waitlist is up by over 40% from a year ago and over 80% from 2023, according to the latest figure provided during a monthly Mental Health Commission meeting on Thursday and data previously received by The Independent. Nora Bock, director of the behavioral health division of the Missouri Department of Mental Health, said the 'silver lining' of the situation is that more individuals have begun receiving care through a pilot program the legislature passed in 2023, which brings treatment to the jails. There are 18 individuals currently enrolled in that program, Bock said, 'so this is good movement.' People on the waitlist were arrested, found incompetent to stand trial and ordered into mental health treatment designed to allow them to have their day in court — a process called competency restoration that generally includes therapy and medication. Their cases are on hold while they wait for competency restoration. The average wait time in Missouri has held steady at 14 months, Bock said. There have been successful lawsuits in several other states arguing that months-long wait times for competency restoration is a violation of due process and the Americans with Disabilities Act. The consequences can be fatal. Last month, a 64-year-old named Timothy Beckmann, who had been found incompetent to stand trial and been waiting for months for treatment, was found unresponsive in the Jackson County Detention Center and brought to a hospital where he was declared dead. In the seven months he spent in pretrial detention, Beckmann's mental and physical health deteriorated, public defenders involved in the case told The Independent after his death. The Department of Mental Health previously declined to answer questions, citing patient privacy laws, and Bock didn't mention Beckmann in her presentation. The Jackson County sheriff's office is still investigating Beckmann's death and the medical examiner's office hasn't concluded its report yet, a spokesperson for the sheriff told The Independent Thursday. Man dies in KC jail after waiting months for court-ordered mental health treatment The legislature in 2023 passed several measures in an attempt to ameliorate the waitlist. Those have been slow to get off the ground. Some of the remedies are years away, such as a new psychiatric hospital being built in Kansas City. Bock said that there are two individuals receiving outpatient competency restoration now — meaning they were charged with low-level offenses and deemed safe enough to receive treatment in their community — 'and I do anticipate that as we work with our other stakeholders that we'll see that that increases over time.' Advocates have raised concern that patients are rarely referred to community-based treatment. There are more patients in the pipeline: 61 people were evaluated and found incompetent who are waiting to be court ordered into DMH custody, Bock said. There are 213 open pretrial evaluations, of which Bock said the department expects around half to be found incompetent. The waitlist is a result of limited bed capacity, workforce and a lack of community placements, officials have told lawmakers, as well as a surge in the number of court-ordered competency evaluations. Bock shared staffing data during the presentation as well. The group with the highest vacancy rate across state psychiatric hospitals is social workers, at 71%. 'This is across our system, so it will vary by facility, but that's a pretty staggering number for us to deal with,' Bock said. She said Fulton State Hospital struggles the most with staffing, with one-quarter of their direct care positions open, and a Kansas City hospital called the Center for Behavioral Medicine struggles the least, which Bock attributed to the job market and population. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Man dies in KC jail after waiting months for court-ordered mental health treatment
Missourians who are arrested and declared incompetent to stand trial wait in jail an average of 14 months before receiving treatment (Getty Images). A man who spent months in a Kansas City jail waiting to be transferred to a state psychiatric hospital for court-ordered treatment died on Monday. Timothy Beckmann was arrested in late September and found incompetent to stand trial due to mental health diagnoses. He was ordered into Department of Mental Health custody in January, joining the list of hundreds of people waiting in jail for a state mental health bed to open up. Just before 5 p.m. on Monday, 64-year-old Beckmann was found unresponsive in his cell in the Jackson County Detention Center cell, according to the Jackson County Sheriff's Office. He was brought to a local hospital, where he was declared dead. Beckmann hadn't been convicted of any crimes — his case was on pause while he waited months for mental health treatment. The cause of death is not yet known. The sheriff's office, which oversees the jail, told The Independent it is investigating the death and the medical examiner's office has not yet released a cause of death. The medical examiner's office told The Independent no reports could be released under public records law while the case is still under investigation. But in the seven months he spent in pretrial detention, Beckmann's mental and physical health deteriorated, the public defenders overseeing his case told The Independent on Friday. They say his death is a tragic consequence of the state's ballooning waitlist for mental health treatment, which leaves people languishing in jail for over a year on average. It's also an indictment, the public defenders say, of the state's inadequate support for those with mental illness. 'What happened to Timothy Beckmann is horrific,' said Annie Legomsky, who runs the state public defense system's holistic defense services program, 'and what makes it all the more tragic is that it was entirely preventable.' She said jails are not equipped to help people with mental illness. 'The inability of our jails to provide appropriate psychiatric care for these individuals is something we've been trying to sound the alarm for for a while,' Legomsky said, 'and unfortunately, it's not a surprise that now someone has tragically ended up dying because they weren't able to get the care they deserved.' The Missouri Department of Mental Health declined to answer a list of questions, citing patient privacy protections. Jackson County Sheriff Darryl Forté also declined to answer specific questions, citing patient privacy, but wrote by email that the 'death of an individual in our custody is a matter we take with the utmost seriousness and care. We are committed to thoroughly examining all circumstances surrounding such incidents, and this particular case remains under investigation.' Missourians who are arrested and declared incompetent to stand trial wait in jail an average of 14 months before receiving treatment, according to data shared with The Independent earlier this month. Treatment generally includes therapy and medication and is referred to as competency restoration. There were 418 people on the waitlist earlier this month. Those being held in jail are sometimes incarcerated for longer than they would be if they'd received the maximum sentence for the crime they were charged with. There have been successful lawsuits in other states arguing the practice violates due process and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Anthony Vibbard, the deputy district defender in Jackson County who oversaw Beckmann's case, said Beckmann had been in and out of different mental health facilities over the last few decades. He was arrested and charged with second degree burglary and first degree property damage, according to court records, after breaking a glass door of a home and entering. Vibbard said Beckmann had been recently released from a mental health facility when he was arrested, and was left 'wandering the streets of Kansas City' — where he wasn't from and had no family. He said Beckmann entered the home because he was tired and hungry and was looking for something to eat. Vibbard said once Beckmann was in jail, 'his condition started deteriorating to the point where he started self harming.' Vibbard and Legomsky said after he was detained, Beckmann started pulling out his toenails, scratching himself and 'losing touch with reality.' At one point, they said, he stopped eating or taking his blood pressure and heart medication. The process of getting court orders for mental health examinations and referrals to the Department of Mental Health can take months. In Beckmann's case, he was finally ordered into the department's custody Jan. 21, nearly four months after he was arrested. His attorney 'sounded the alarms' in court, Vibbard said, trying to talk to judges, convince the department to expedite his treatment and making records of her concerns. Beckmann came to court 'visibly frail,' Vibbard said, with 'scabs and wounds on his body.' The legal team received reports he was being held in restraints, which the sheriff's office declined to comment on. The jail has been sued in the past for its use of restraint chairs. '[His attorney] made records over and over saying like that, this is bad. Something bad could happen. He needs to be in a hospital and not a jail,' Vibbard said.'…And eventually we got the word that Mr. Beckmann died number 109 on the waiting list for admissions.' The department declined to confirm that Beckmann was number 109 on the waitlist at the time he died. Legomsky said despite legislative and court concerns, more needs to be done to remedy the competency restoration issue, 'so that people like Mr. Beckmann don't die locked up in a cell, strapped down.' 'If people don't know what's happening,' she said, 'and they don't realize that it's a life or death matter, I'm worried that the status quo will continue.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Wales Online
15-05-2025
- General
- Wales Online
'Farcical' row over estate's unfinished road leaves residents at 'wits end'
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Residents living on an Anglesey estate say a row over responsibility for their pothole-filled road has left them at their "wits end". Bin wagons and delivery drivers are said to be unwilling to enter a section of Llys Tegeirian in Llangristiolus due to its uneven surface. Resident Richard Beckmann said elderly residents struggled to haul their bins to a collection point, youngsters tripped whilst playing, cars risked damage, and some people had found it "almost impossible" to sell homes. The estate was developed by Hughes Bros. Ltd, but the road, which serves 11 homes, was never adopted by Anglesey Council, and has been the subject of legal wrangling since then. The developer blames the council for the situation, while the council says the developer is at fault. Mr Beckmann, a member of the 13 - 23 Llys Tegeirian Residents' Association, described the situation as a "miserable mess". The married dad-of-two was one of the first to buy on the site about 12 years ago. Get the best island stories from our Anglesey newsletter - sent every Friday (Image: 13-23 Llys Tegeirian Residents' Association/R Beckmann) The council said it had served Breach of Condition Notices and there had been several prosecutions against the developer, but the situation remained unresolved. In response, developer John Hughes claimed he had been unfairly blamed, saying the issue was down to the council "dragging its feet" and failing to adopt the road. He said going to court had cost the company more than £5,000, and felt their side of the story had not been understood, and that the situation with the council was a "farce". Mr Beckmann said the consequence of the ongoing dispute had been "awful" for residents. He said: "Young children and people fall over potholes, it's a nightmare for elderly residents dragging bins to where the lorry can collect. (Image: Courtesy of 13-23 Llys Tegeirian Residents' Association) "Some people are at their wits end, others are sad the situation has blighted their dream homes. Others have tried to sell, but found it almost impossible." Mr Beckmann recently launched a Senedd petition entitled 'Stop the Plague of Unadopted Roads' - calling for a change in the law over unadopted roads. He also submitted a Freedom of Information Request to the council on behalf of residents asking for more information about the issue. MS Rhun ap Iorwerth, who represents Ynys Môn, has also been asked to help. He said: 'I've long made enquiries on behalf of and continue to campaign alongside residents at Llys Tregeirian for the necessary works to be completed on the road. 'This issue has blighted residents for too long and they've been badly let down by the developers. There's something fundamentally wrong with a system that allows a developer to walk away without finishing their work. (Image: Google Map) 'I'll keep working closely with residents to explore every avenue to get the work done, so they can live on a road that is safe and accessible for all.' Isle of Anglesey County Council chief executive Dylan J Williams said: "This matter has been a cause of concern for us as the Local Planning Authority (LPA). "Despite our best efforts - including serving Breach of Condition Notices and multiple prosecutions against the developer - progress has been frustrating for all parties. (Image: Courtesy 13-23 Llys Tegeirian Residents' Association) 'As a Local Planning Authority, our powers are limited. While we fully understand residents' frustration, we believe that they should continue to engage with their Senedd representatives as means of moving this matter forward. "We have also suggested that they could pursue their own legal action through the civil courts. We have no powers to carry out work on the developer's land without permission. "Moreover, if we attempted to complete the works and claim the money back, there is no guarantee that we could successfully recover any public funds used. 'While we are committed to transparency, the LPA will respond to residents' FOI request at the appropriate time to avoid prejudicing ongoing investigations and enforcement actions. We will, of course, disclose all permissible information." Mr Hughes claimed the situation had started after the council failed to inspect pipe work, but then requested for them to be dug up. "There was nothing wrong with the pipe work, the job was spot on, there has never been any problems, so we refused to dig them up," he said. "What should have happened was that the council needed to issue a Section 38, so that funds could be released to finish the work. "By now, there will be a shortfall, we believe the council should pay. It has ended up costing us over £5000 in fines, which will have to be deducted from our costs. "We are happy to sit down with whoever we need to, to resolve the situation. We strongly believe it's the council who should pay the shortfall, they are the ones that dragged their feet with the legalities. "We are willing to do the road, but we are not digging up pipes and we can't do anything until we get a Section 38 - it is like a chicken and egg situation, it's just been a farce." Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox
