Whiting Task Force wants lawmakers to consider abolishing the PSRB

Members also recommended the state replace Whiting Forensic Hospital


A state task force has recommended that lawmakers consider abolishing the Psychiatric Security Review Board, which supervises people who are found not guilty by reason of insanity, because it favors public safety over patient treatment.

While members of the CVH Whiting Task Force did not agree on how to replace the PSRB, they encouraged legislators to consider proposals that would better respect the rights of patients while balancing public safety concerns. Currently, Connecticut is one of only three states that has an entity like the PSRB.

The proposal was among the task force’s recommendations the group approved Friday in a meeting televised on CT-N, during which members discussed the measures in a shared screen over Zoom. They took a vote to convene in two weeks to approve the wording of an executive summary, after which they will send their recommendations to members of the Public Health committee.

“We should reach out to the leadership of the committee, the chairs and ranking members, and ask them how they would like to proceed, and encourage them to consider drafting legislation,” said Michael P. Lawlor, associate professor of criminal justice at the University of New Haven and co-chair of the task force.

Read more: https://ctmirror.org/2021/11/05/whiting-task-force-wants-lawmakers-to-consider-abolishing-the-psrb/