Background: Competency to Stand Trial. Court decisions establish a person cannot constitutionally be tried for a criminal offense unless they are competent to stand trial. A person is incompetent to stand trial if they lack the current capacity to understand the proceedings against them or do not have the ability to assist in their own defense. If any party to a criminal case raises doubts about a defendant's competency to stand trial, the criminal proceedings must be stayed for a competency evaluation to assist the court in determining if the defendant is competent to stand trial. If the court determines a defendant is incompetent to stand trial, the defendant may be eligible for a period of competency restoration treatment. Washington State has established statutory performance targets for timeliness of competency services, which include a seven-day target for completion of a competency evaluation in jail and a seven-day target to be transported from jail to a facility for inpatient competency evaluation or restoration.

Competency Restoration Treatment. Competency restoration treatment is involuntary mental health treatment administered for the purpose of rendering the defendant amenable to criminal prosecution. Eligibility for competency restoration treatment is based on the defendant's current charges:

Classification of Charge	Eligibility for Competency Restoration
Nonfelony—non-serious	None
Nonfelony—serious	14 to 29 days
Felony—nonviolent	45 days + 90 days + 180 days
Felony—violent	90 days + 90 days + 180 days

The competency restoration treatment period for a defendant charged with a nonfelony serious offense is 14 days plus any unused time from the 15-day inpatient competency evaluation period. Felony competency restoration treatment is provided in three periods, separated by court review to determine whether the defendant remains incompetent to stand trial. A third 180-day felony competency restoration treatment period may not be ordered unless the court or a jury finds the defendant is a substantial danger to other persons or presents a substantial likelihood of committing criminal acts jeopardizing public safety or security, and that there is a substantial probability the defendant will regain competency within a reasonable period of time.

Competency restoration may be provided at an inpatient or outpatient facility that is operated by, or under contract with, Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS). An overwhelming majority of competency restoration treatment in Washington State is delivered inpatient, typically at a state hospital.

The Trueblood Litigation. In 2014, the state was sued in federal district court in the case of Trueblood v. DSHS, and in 2015 it was found liable for imposing excessive wait times on in-custody defendants who are ordered to receive competency evaluation and restoration services. The court found the state in contempt for continued noncompliance in 2017, and subsequently assessed over $83 million in fines before the state reached a settlement with plaintiffs, approved in December 2018. The settlement obligates the state to take numerous actions calculated to speed the delivery of competency evaluation and restoration services. During the 2019 legislative session, the settlement obligates the state to work to achieve changes to reduce the number of people ordered to receive competency evaluation and restoration services. The most recent court monitoring report posted by DSHS, dated January 31, 2019, indicates a statewide average wait time for in-custody defendants of 13.0 days for completion of a competency evaluation in jail, 28.5 days for transportation to a facility for competency evaluation, and 42.8 days for transportation to a facility for competency restoration.

Classification of Criminal Offenses. A nonfelony is a misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor. A nonfelony is non-serious offense when it is not a serious traffic offense, crime against persons, domestic violence offense, or harassment offense. Felonies may be class A, class B, or class C. All class A felonies and some class B felonies are classified as violent offenses. Certain felonies are classified as sex offenses.

Rights of a Criminal Defendant. Criminal defendants have a panoply of constitutional rights including the right to remain silent, the right to counsel, the right to be presumed innocent until guilt is proved beyond a reasonable doubt, the right to confront witnesses, and the right to a speedy trial. A defendant must be competent to make a valid waiver of their constitutional rights. The right to counsel includes protection from any state interrogation which is not initiated by the defendant.

Summary of Bill (First Substitute): Forensic Navigators. If available, an impartial forensic navigator (navigator) employed by or contracted with DSHS may assist individuals:

who are referred by a prosecutor in lieu of filing charges supported by probable cause and who have a documented history of mental illness or referrals for services related to competency to stand trial, or whose nonfelony criminal charges have been dismissed and who are not detained for civil commitment by a designated crisis responder, in order to ensure a warm handoff and coordinated transition into the community behavioral health system; and
who are charged with criminal offenses and have been referred for competency evaluation or restoration.

A navigator must assist individuals to navigate the forensic process and to access available behavioral health resources. The navigator must assist the individual, prosecuting attorney, defense attorney, and court to understand the options available to the individual and be accountable as an officer of the court. Duties include:

to collect relevant information about the individual that might support placement in outpatient restoration, diversion, or some combination of these, including history, records, and the circumstances leading up to the current court matter;
to meet with, interview, and observe the individual;
to present information to the court; and
to monitor all court orders for compliance and provide periodic updates about the individual's engagement in treatment and any relevant changes in circumstances related to the individual.

The navigator may submit nonclinical recommendations to the court regarding treatment and restoration options available to the defendant. The signed order for competency evaluation from the court must allow access to all records held by behavioral health, educational, or law enforcement agencies related to the individual. Information protected by federal law may not be entered into the court record without the consent of the individual or their defense attorney

A prosecutor may dismiss charges against an individual whenever mental illness or competency to stand trial becomes an issue and divert the individual by referral to a navigator or by directing the navigator to help the individual access services. DSHS must collaborate with the Health Care Authority to ensure that intensive services such as supportive housing, intensive case management, and assertive community treatment are available for individuals involved with the criminal justice system in every county or region where navigators are deployed.

Diversion Authority. The authority of a police officer to divert an individual known to suffer from a behavioral health disorder to a crisis stabilization unit, triage facility, or facility for civil commitment, instead of arresting the individual, is expanded to include individuals believed to have committed any crime. The police officer must be guided by local law enforcement diversion guidelines for behavioral health developed and agreed upon with the prosecuting attorney with an opportunity for consultation by the defense bar and disability community. The guidelines must include a process for clearing outstanding warrants or referring the individual for assistance in clearing outstanding warrants, without booking or incarcerating the individual or disqualifying the individual from referral for treatment in appropriate circumstances defined by the guidelines. The Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs must collect and maintain a file of written local law enforcement diversion guidelines for behavioral health.

Outpatient Competency Restoration. To be eligible for outpatient competency restoration, an individual must be adherent to medications or willing to receive prescribed intravenous medication, abstinent from alcohol and unprescribed drugs, and clinically stable. An individual ordered to receive outpatient competency restoration must be placed by DSHS into approved housing affiliated with a contracted outpatient competency restoration program. DSHS must establish conditions of participation that include being subject to medication monitoring and daily urinalysis. The program must monitor the individual and report any noncompliance or significant changes to DSHS and, if applicable, the navigator. The period of outpatient competency restoration applicable to all defendants must be for up to 90 days.

If an individual fails to comply with an outpatient competency restoration program such that restoration is no longer possible in that setting, DSHS must remove the individual to an inpatient competency restoration program for the same length of time as if the initial placement had been in an inpatient restoration program with the time spent in outpatient competency restoration disregarded. The court may not order outpatient competency restoration unless DSHS certifies there is an available program with adequate space for the individual at the time the competency restoration order is issued.

DSHS must implement an outpatient competency restoration program in King County no later than January 1, 2020.

Competency Restoration. Authority is removed for the parties to stipulate that a defendant is unlikely to regain competency without a factual determination made by the court.

Nonfelony Competency Restoration. When a nonfelony defendant is found to be incompetent to stand trial, the court must dismiss the charges without prejudice unless the prosecutor objects and provides notice of a motion for an order for competency restoration, in which case the court must schedule a hearing. The prosecutor must prove by a preponderance that there is a compelling state interest in pursuing competency restoration, considering the defendant's prior criminal history, prior history in treatment, prior history of violence, the nature of the pending charges, and any available indications as to whether competency restoration treatment is likely to be successful. The time for inpatient competency restoration must be 29 days, instead of 14 days plus any unused time from the competency restoration period.

Staff Summary of Public Testimony on Original Bill: The committee recommended a different version of the bill than what was heard. PRO: This is about ensuring that defendants have access to competency evaluation services, and I am excited about beefing up outpatient competency restoration services. The Trueblood settlement was reached in February 2018 and approved after a long stakeholder process. It is phased into regions. This bill represents the items in the settlement agreement that are believed to require statutory change. It will keep people out of the criminal justice system and in treatment where they will be better served. The settlement has been very collaborative. This is a historic opportunity to better serve and safeguard the rights of persons with mental illness who are caught up in the criminal justice system. We should look beyond the number of forensic beds at the reasons why we put so many people into the system. Forensic navigators should have a case management role that emphasizes diversion and treatment. Protections are needed for confidentiality. Aspect of outpatient restoration and nonfelony competency restoration should be clarified. Class members experience time in custody as confusing, scary, unending, lonely, dirty, and feel everyone is against them. They are isolated and do not get clear answers about what will happen to them. They need someone who has the time to talk to them and create something productive and positive from a terrible experience. Please ensure navigators have to tools needed to work for class members, not against them. We support expanding diversion flexibility for law enforcement and the use of outpatient restoration treatment. Please add language providing residential supports for unstably housed defendants who need support to be eligible for outpatient restoration. Forensic navigators should help people get in and stay in treatment. Incompetent defendants need more assistance than just a referral. Appropriate support will reduce recidivism and improve recovery. Persons in the justice system experience significant trauma. Family members struggle to know how to help a loved one find supportive housing, find a provider, or motivate them to take mediation. They need support. Housing and intensive case management can make a difference. There must be protection from negative use of confidential information. How much help a person needs should not be determined by the level of the crime.

OTHER: The processes in the bill need to be better defined so that the bill creates a set of rules the courts can work with. The forensic navigator function may be better applied upstream, such as by screening everyone admitted to jail like in Snohomish County. Law enforcement diversion statutes should never prevent an officer from diverting a person. We are uncomfortable with the language instructing officers to disregard warrants. We are concerned what will happen to nonfelony defendants who do notreceive competency restoration. Prosecutors are concerned about being able to prove a compelling state interest, especially in a 24 hour time frame, which should be extended. People exiting the justice system need intensive wraparound services. A navigator will be little help if services don't exist.