SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - A Helmsley Charitable Grant will support a newly formed task force examining mental health in the South Dakota criminal justice system.
Chief Justice David Gilbertson says one of his concerns is the wait times for competency exams for defendants with suspected mental illness.
Gilbertson says court-ordered competency evaluations in South Dakota tripled from 48 in fiscal year 2013 to just two years later to 147. He says officials can't explain the increase.
The task force will examine how individuals with mental illness navigate from arrest through the courts, consider reforms in other states and tailor a new policy and explore reallocation of savings through strategies improving public safety and treatment of mental illness.
A Helmsley healthcare survey found that South Dakota may have a higher prevalence of anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and alcohol misuse compared to national rates.
The Helmsley grant is over$300,000. Six state agencies will kick-in over $116,000. The task force is expected to work for a year