disAbility Law Center of Virginia (dLCV) investigated the death of Irvo Otieno in March 2023. From his initial encounters with police and the hospital emergency room to his incarceration and transfer to Central State Hospital, dLCV discovered a complete breakdown of Virginia’s mental health crisis system, compounded by a culture of criminalizing individuals with mental illness, particularly communities of color. The system that was supposed to help Mr. Otieno utterly and completely failed him.
During Federal Fiscal Year 2022, dLCV received a total of 410 Critical Incident Reports from facilities operated by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS).
“It’s a sad thing that I have been locked up for 10 years, all because of the NGRI process.” Emanuel VaShaun Key, a patient at Central State Hospital (CSH), has been deprived of a life outside a state psychiatric hospital due to the Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGRI) plea.
Trapped in State Hospitals While Infection Spreads?
