Legal Center v. Bicha, et al.
Jan 01, 2013OUTCOME: Settled
Farrell was a member of the Reilly Pozner team of attorneys who worked pro bono for the non-profit Legal Center for People with Disabilities and Older People. On behalf of the Legal Center, they filed ... a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Colorado alleging that presumptively innocent men and women with serious mental illnesses languish in Colorado jails for months awaiting court-ordered mental health evaluations and mental health treatment to so that they can participate in their criminal proceedings. The lawsuit alleged that the excessive delays violate the United States Constitution. In some cases, pretrial detainees waited in jail for court-ordered mental health evaluations and treatment longer than they would have otherwise been confined for their alleged offense. The Colorado Department of Human Services and the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo were named as defendants in the suit.
