22 Apr Denver Post Article on Mental Health System and the Criminal Justice System
This is a recent article from the Denver Post on the intersection of the mental health system and the criminal justice system titled “Colorado Sees Sharp Rise in Competency Exams for Criminal Defendants.”
This issue has come up broadly in my practice and I have sued the State of Colorado twice for unconstitutional delays in mental health evaluations for criminal defendants.
It has also surfaced in individual cases, like the Tyler Sanchez matter, where the conflict of opinions was made evident after a team of doctors actually investigated and thoroughly evaluated Tyler Sanchez’ case. The results of which led to the charges against Mr. Sanchez being completely dropped.
Iris Eytan is a Partner at Reilly Pozner LLP. She practices Criminal Defense with an emphasis in mental health defenses.