Federal Judge Fines State $185,500 in Mental Health Case

SEATTLE (AP) — A federal judge has ordered Washington state's mental health services agency to pay a civil contempt fine of $185,500 for failing to provide timely competency services to mentally ill defendants.

The fine follows a contempt order that U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman issued on July 7 against the Washington state Department of Social and Health Services.

Pechman said the state has not complied with her 2015 permanent injunction that required the state to conduct competency evaluations within seven days of a judge's order. She also set a one-week deadline for providing treatment to restore competency.

Since the state has not complied, Pechman ordered sanctions of $500 to $1,000 per day for each person who is forced to wait more than a week for those services.

Wednesday's order says that between July 8 and 14th, the fines accrued to $185,500.