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MN law to keep mentally ill out of jails straining hospitals

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A 2013 law intended to keep the mentally ill from spending excessive time in county jails has resulted in an influx of inmates to Minnesota's psychiatric hospitals.

Since its passage, the law has Anoka-Metro Regional Treatment Center, the state's second-largest psychiatric hospital, struggling to contend with a shortage of beds and an increase in dangerous encounters between inmates and staff.

The Star Tribune reported that the hospital restricted admissions from county jails last month, an emergency measure that may have violated state law:

The suspension is also the latest signal of deeper flaws in Minnesota's mental health system, which has suffered from a chronic, severe shortage of psychiatric beds.

The conditions at Anoka-Metro, a 175-bed facility that treats people with complex psychiatric conditions, have become so dire that at least one state legislator has suggested bringing in the National Guard to protect patients and staff. The idea is supported by the public sector employees' union local that represents workers at Anoka-Metro.

Three guests joined MPR News' Tom Weber to talk about the issue.