A Top Oregon Psychiatry Official Acknowledges Gaps In System For Treating, Discharging People Found Criminally Insane
The head of the Oregon Psychiatric Security Review Board Alison Bort, in responding to public scrutiny over the state's failure to properly oversee inmates who are discharged, said that the board needs to do better. Bort said she hopes a task force can examine four areas: how defendants get into the system, their treatment while under state jurisdiction, the process for early discharges and then dealing with people once they have been freed.
ProPublica:
Oregon Should Overhaul Handling Of Insanity Defendants, Says Head Of Psychiatry Security Review Board
The state of Oregon needs to overhaul the way it handles people found guilty except for insanity and better track what happens to them once they are released from state jurisdiction, the head of the agency that supervises such defendants said. In an interview, Alison Bort, executive director of the Oregon Psychiatric Security Review Board, acknowledged gaps in the system for treating and discharging people found criminally insane and said the state Legislature should consider appointing a state task force to weigh reforms. “I don’t think anyone disagrees we can do better,” Bort said. (Zaitz, 3/13)
