ATLANTA -
The Fulton County jail has partnered with Emory University to help inmates who have been deemed incompetent to stand trial see their day in court.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Monday (http://bit.ly/U6tbMK ) reported the jail struggled with a backlog of mentally ill inmates waiting for treatment at Georgia Regional Hospital. Inmates who have been deemed incompetent can't go to court until they've undergone therapy or have received medical treatment.
In partnership with Emory, the jail has established a psychological unit to treat inmates onsite rather than placing them on a waiting list to receive treatment from a local hospital. Officials say about 40 percent of the jail's 2,400 inmates suffer from psychological illnesses, and the jail's backlog of inmates awaiting treatment at Georgia Regional has dropped from 62 to zero.
___
Information from: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, http://www.ajc.com
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
