Kansas agrees to increase hospital beds for mentally ill defendants

Associated Press

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas has promised to provide more hospital beds for mentally ill criminal defendants. The deal was struck to settle a federal lawsuit filed because defendants were waiting months to be evaluated to determine if they were fit to stand trial. State officials made the agreement with representatives of five defendants from three counties. It requires the state to do its best to open a new psychiatric hospital in Wichita, its largest city, by January 2027. Officials also must seek funding from the Kansas Legislature to reopen a previously closed 30-bed unit at the state’s psychiatric hospital in western Kansas. The state currently has fewer than 80 beds for evaluating criminal defendants.