IPR's Morning Edition host Meghan McKinney speaks with Kim Hagen, the director of clinical services at Community Support Advocates. The nonprofit is overseeing the first state-funded outpatient competency restoration program, which started treatment services in July.
In 2023, Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a bill requiring the Department of Health and Human Services to provide an outpatient competency restoration program for people deemed incompetent to stand trial in criminal courts. The Polk County Mental Health and Disability Service Region contracted out the statewide program to Community Support Advocates, located in West Des Moines.
When a defendant is deemed incompetent to stand trial, it means they don’t have the mental ability to participate in court proceedings or aid in their own defense. Competency has to be restored before any further court proceedings can occur. Before this year, that meant going to a state-run residential treatment facility, or — if the defendant could afford it — privately paying for treatment to restore competency.
