Title: California Department of State Hospitals - Atascadero
Headings: Department of State Hospitals - Coalinga
Department of State Hospitals - Coalinga
HISTORY
PATIENT POPULATION
Offenders with Mental Health Disorders (Penal Code Section 2962/2972)
Mentally Ill Prisoners transferred from CDCR (PC 2684)
Sexually Violent Predators (Welfare and Institutions Code 6602 & 6604)
HOSPITAL STAFF
TREATMENT AND PROGRAMS
COMMUNITY

Content: They have not been charged with a crime, but are instead referred by local community mental health programs through involuntary civil commitment procedures pursuant to the LPS Act. Those whose psychiatric conditions require a higher level of care and cannot be treated in locked facilities or board-and-care homes are sent to a state hospital for treatment. LPS patients leave state hospitals when their county of residence places them in a different facility, or home with their families, or they have successfully petitioned the court to remove the conservatorship. Offenders with Mental Health Disorders (Penal Code Section 2962/2972)
Parolees who committed one of a specified list of crimes and who were treated for a severe mental disorder connected to their original crime can be committed to a state hospital as a condition of parole for a period not to exceed the length of their parole term. If the person still requires treatment at the end of their parole term, they can be civilly committed under PC2972 if it is determined that they are a substantial danger to themselves or others. These commitments last for one year and may be renewed annually by the court. Mentally Ill Prisoners transferred from CDCR (PC 2684)
These inmate-patients are transferred from CDCR for inpatient mental health care with the expectation that they will return to a CDCR facility when they will no longer require inpatient treatment. Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (Penal Code 1026)
Patients judged by the court to be not guilty because they were insane at the time of the felony crime are committed to a state hospital for treatment for a period equal to the maximum sentence of their most serious offense. Their treatment goal is to control violent behaviors and develop socially responsible behavior and independent living skills, while treating their mental illness. Sexually Violent Predators (Welfare and Institutions Code 6602 & 6604)
Individuals who are convicted of a legislatively defined set of sex offenses who complete their prison sentences are evaluated by DSH or independent evaluators.