Camp Verde Arizona Detention Center
Sedona AZ (November 16. 2013) – The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office learned that a program in place within the Camp Verde Detention Center will receive the 2014 “Innovation in Corrections Award” for its Restoration to Competency program, known as “RTC.” This unique and effective program is managed at the Detention Center under a contract with Wexford Health Sources by Health Care Unit Administrator Becky Payne. YCSO Chief John Russell oversees the program for the Sheriff’s Office and worked with Payne during the program’s initial development and implementation in April of 2010. YCSO representatives will receive the award in February of 2014.
Under the U.S. Constitution, a criminal defendant must be able to meaningfully participate in his or her own defense and have a basic understanding of the court proceedings. Defendants with significant mental illness or developmental delays may be unable to understand court proceedings or participate in their own defense. In most cases, treatment in a Restoration to Competency Program (RTC) will give these defendants the ability to do so.
Prior to 2010, Yavapai County defendants in need of RTC were sent to the Arizona State Hospital (ASH) in Phoenix. The State of Arizona had previously covered the RTC costs for the smaller counties such as Yavapai County, but the state budget crisis at the time meant Yavapai County was responsible for all of this cost, estimated in excess of 2 million dollars for 2010. This estimate did not include costs for patient transportation, security guard overtime, or the cost associated with housing an inmate at a Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office facility while the inmate waited for transfer to ASH. With the in-house RTC program, its effectiveness and cost savings were immediately recognized.
The American Correctional Association, the oldest and largest correctional association in the world, selected Wexford Health Sources’ Restoration to Competency (RTC) program for its prestigious 2014 Innovation in Corrections Award. The creative program will be formally recognized in February at the ACA’s winter conference in Tampa, Florida.
Yavapai County Sheriff Scott Mascher appreciates the partnership with Wexford Health Sources in maintaining the quality and service of this now nationally recognized program.
“The Restoration to Competency program is an innovative way to provide essential and effective treatment to detainees while protecting the interests of the public. It is truly an honor to be recognized for this success,” said Mark W. Hale, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Wexford Health.
The three-year-old RTC program is a bold alternative that helps restore defendants to competency more quickly, and at far less cost, than in the past. The RTC program provides treatment to help bring defendants to the point where they can reasonably participate in their own defense, advancing the administration of justice. Detainees are treated within the jail facility, reducing costs and eliminating logistical challenges – including transportation and security – associated with sending them to a remote state hospital for treatment.
Since it opened in 2010, the Yavapai RTC program has saved taxpayers more than $6.75 million compared to what they would have had to pay for the same services at a state-run hospital. In addition to this financial benefit to taxpayers, the program also improves the efficiency of the justice system, ensuring that mentally incompetent detainees receive their trials in as timely a fashion as possible.
The Yavapai RTC program is also featured in an article in the current issue of Corrections Forum magazine.
Citizens can contact the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office with information or questions at 928-771-3260 or the YCSO website at www.ycsoaz.gov.
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