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Deputies Handcuff Mental Patient to Hospital Chair

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Lincoln, Neb.
Posted: 9:59 AM May 9, 2008
Last Updated: 10:29 AM May 9, 2008
Reporter: Associated Press
Email Address: desk@kolnkgin.com

2 comments

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Conflict between Nebraska's justice and mental health systems appears to be growing.

Hours after a 19-year-old man was deemed by a judge to be mentally incompetent to stand trial, Sarpy County deputies on Thursday handcuffed him to a chair in the lobby of a state psychiatric hospital in Lincoln.

Lincoln Regional Center officials had told the deputies there was no room for the man, but Judge Robert Wester later in the day ordered the deputies to leave the man there.

Earlier this year, law enforcement officials in York County expressed frustration at being forced for two months to jail a man who a judge had ordered to be treated at same hospital.

State officials had said there was a waiting list for treatment slots.

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Posted by: State employee Location: Hastings on May 9, 2008 at 12:49 PM
You can thank our Governor Johanns and Senator Jim Jensen for getting this reform together. Unfortunately the promises that were made about having things in place really never happened like it should have. There are more and more problems like this coming up. If they look at the statics there have been many more sucides due to no services for the mentaly ill. Who suffers but the poor mentally ill clients that were in a safe place at Hastings until they decided that there was no need that Lincoln and Omaha would build new places and that would take care of the problem. Good one. I often thought that whenever there is a suicide and that person had been in the system because they were mentally ill I thought many timmes about sending a letter to those men and saying well the reform has certainly worked. Wait up Nebraska and take note that the reform is not working.

Posted by: Pat Location: Kearney on May 9, 2008 at 10:43 AM
While LE did not want to see it come to this the Mental Health Community and the State of Nebraska were warned in very clear terms about the need to provide adaquate treatment space during the restructuring to the system under Gov. Johanns and the other reformers. LE flat told the State that they have never lived up to any of their past promises or responsiblities and there was no reason to believe they would after the latest reform. It is about time the media looked more closely at the issues. To date the WH has given nothing but favorable reviews of the reforms. Well frankly I believe in reform but it cost money and the State has the obligation and Duty to provide the resources and the facilities. Thanks