The U.S. criminal justice system has quietly assumed a role it was never designed for: serving as a default mental health provider for tens of thousands of Americans with serious mental illness. Through the lens of competency to stand trial (CST) proceedings, jails and courts have become pressure valves for an underfunded, fragmented mental healthcare system. Following deinstitutionalization starting in the 1960s, the number of inpatient psychiatric beds in the United States

The U.S. jury system assumes neutral decision-making, but psychology shows jurors are influenced by cognitive shortcuts and implicit bias. In Georgia, cases like Foster v. Chatman expose how racial exclusion and jury selection practices can distort justice despite Batson protections. This post explores how bias shapes juror judgment, why safeguards often fail, and what reforms could improve fairness and legitimacy in court outcomes.

Candidates carry authority before they ever carry a badge. In Georgia, psychological screening is a required step in law enforcement hiring designed to evaluate whether applicants are fit for the stress, discretion, and responsibility of policing. The process is grounded in POST regulations and supported by decades of police psychology research emphasizing risk reduction, emotional stability, and sound judgment under pressure. While often misunderstood as a mental health “tes

Georgia’s mental health restoration system is under severe strain, leaving hundreds of people found incompetent to stand trial stuck in jail for months or even years while waiting for treatment beds. This blog examines the growing backlog, its impact on courts and jails, and the state’s ongoing efforts—new hospitals, step-down units, and policy reforms—to ease a system overwhelmed by rising demand.