An unidentified woman lies under a blanket in a cell in the Flathead County Detention Center in Kalispell, Montana. She has been held there for nearly a year after being found mentally unfit to stand trial on burglary charges, a jail official said. (Aaron Bolton/KFF Health News)
September 11, 2023
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September 12, 2023 midnight
Montana officials seek more control over judicial involuntary commitments
Before their legal case can proceed, people charged with crimes in Montana must understand the charges they face and participate in their own defense. But because of bottlenecks in services across the country, people in jail with serious mental illness are waiting months to receive the care needed to “restore” their competency to stand trial.