The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and Jail-Based Competency Evaluation and Restoration

Abstract

The U.S. Ninth Circuit is the largest of the federal appeals courts, encompassing the states of Alaska, Washington, and Oregon to the north, Hawaii, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands to the west, California and Arizona to the west and southwest, along with the three intermountain states of Idaho, Montana, and Nevada. The landmass within the Ninth Circuit represents great diversity of geography, climate, population density, and cultural and political traditions. This article considers two landmark Ninth Circuit decisions, one from Oregon and the other from Washington, two states that share geography, culture, and political orientation. Informed by these decisions, we consider how the Ninth Circuit might view the jail-based competency evaluation and restoration programs in the state of Arizona. We explore: the due process rights of jail detainees who are awaiting an evaluation of trial competency; and the time necessary for admission to, and the adequacy of, Arizona's jail-based competency restoration programs after a finding of incompetency.