The American Correctional Association, the oldest and largest correctional association in the world, has selected Wexford Health Sources' Restoration to Competency (RTC) program as the recipient of its prestigious 2014 Innovation in Corrections Award. The creative program, which is conducted in conjunction with the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office at the county's Camp Verde (AZ) detention facility, will be formally recognized in February at the ACA's winter conference in Tampa, Florida.
"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. "We are always looking for partnership opportunities with our clients that can serve the public's interests in correctional health care. The Yavapai RTC program is an outstanding testament to that commitment."
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.
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