Practice of sending defendants to prison’s IMHU continues until 2027

Maine is actively trying to provide appropriate psychological care to those who are deemed incapable of standing trial because of mental illness.
In 2021, the state temporarily granted the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) the power to transfer defendants who were ruled incompetent to stand trial (IST) from a psychiatric facility to the intensive mental health unit (IMHU) in the Maine State Prison.
The House recently passed legislation (LD 2046) to extend those powers to the DHHS indefinitely. The Senate, however, cited constitutional concerns over legally innocent people retained in a prison environment. As of late March, they imposed an amendment to the legislation allowing the practice to continue until its repeal on Novembe...