Yates requests transfer

Attorneys for Andrea Yates have filed a motion for a "reasonable" bond that would allow them to move her into Rusk Psychiatric Hospital.

George Parnham argues that Yates, who drowned her five children in June 2001, cannot afford the current $1 million bail recommended by District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal. The Associated Press reported that Parnham is asking a judge set a $50,000 bail.

Yates, 41, is scheduled to be retried March 20. In the motion, Parnham argues that Yates "is a severely mentally ill individual" who would receive better care at the Rusk facility than in Harris County Jail.

Yates has been housed in the jail's mental health unit since she was transferred there earlier this month.

It's a good thing Yates doesn't need to be kept in a state psychiatric facility, as defendants who are declared incompetent to stand trial are. According to Grits, she'd probably be plumb out of luck if that were the case. It's another case of the state's funding levels being inadequate for its needs. Check it out.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on January 21, 2006 to Crime and Punishment | TrackBack