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Atascadero State Hospital

October 15, 2023

Atascadero State Hospital, formally known as California Department of State Hospitals- Atascadero (DSHA), is located on the Central Coast of California, in San Luis Obispo County, halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco. DSHA is an all-male, maximum-security facility, forensic institution that houses mentally ill convicts who have been committed to psychiatric facilities by California's courts.[1] Located on a 700+ acre grounds in the city of Atascadero, California, it is the largest employer in that town.[2] DSHA is not a general purpose public hospital, and the only patients admitted are those that are referred to the hospital by the Superior Court, Board of Prison Terms, or the Department of Corrections.

California Department of State Hospitals
Geography
LocationAtascadero, California, United States
Organization
Care systemPsychiatric ward
TypeForensic psychiatry
Services
Emergency departmentDepartment of State Hospitals- Atascadero Police Department (DSHAPD, ASHPD, or DPS)
Beds1239
History
Opened1954
Links
WebsiteOfficial website
ListsHospitals in California

History Edit

Atascadero State Hospital (ASH) opened in 1954, as a state-run, self-contained public sector forensic psychiatric facility. It is enclosed within a security perimeter, and accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). Patients are referred to the hospital by the Superior Court, Board of Prison Terms, or the Department of Corrections.

According to a 1978 Federal study of sex offender treatment programs:[3] "An informal history of [ASH], distributed in 1975, reports that Atascadero opened “with the philosophy that good therapy could be carried on in a security setting and that modern methods of psychiatric treatment, based on a therapeutic community' concept, would most likely succeed.“ The problems of 'therapy vs. security' and 'prison vs. hospital' immediately developed and hindered successful treatment. The belief that criminals should be punished for their crime and not 'babied' haunted the hospital program. For several years beginning in 1959, a series of unfortunate and tragic accidents occurred at the hospital. A number of escapes and violent incidents in addition to widespread community concern led to a special investigation of the hospital's problems which ultimately resulted in a revamping of its organization, administration, and treatment programs” beginning in 1961. The 1960's were also a troubled decade for Atascadero, plagued by internal dissension, staff rebellions, and occasional scandal."

As early as the 1970s, ASH was referred to as a "Dachau for Queers." The term appeared in a March 16, 1972 L.A. Free Press article, with an Editor's Note stating: "The following story is an edited version of Don Jackson’s article "Dachau For Queers" which originally appeared in The Gay Liberation Book by Ramparts Press."[4][5] A 2009 California Law Review article commented, "One reason for this appellation was that inmates [sic] were subjected to experimental therapies - electrical and pharmacological shock treatments in addition to lobotomies - to "cure" them of their "sex perversion.""[6][7] Recent appearances of this term include a 2011 PBS American Experiences documentary "Stonewall Uprising", which was rebroadcast in 2020,[8] and a 2012 New Yorker article.[9] In 1976 Michael Serber MD (then ASH Clinical Director) coauthored a paper commenting: "The history of treatment for the homosexual at this institution has mainly centered around inadequate and sometimes cruel attempts at conversion to heterosexuality or asexuality. There is an intermittent history of aversive conditioning. These aversive techniques had extended even to the use of succinylcholine and electroconvulsive shock treatment as punishment for homosexual offenders who had 'deviated' within the hospital. At the very minimum, homosexuals were frequently degraded by staff whose attitudes concerning homosexuality were punitive and judgmental. More homosexual patients than heterosexual had been defined as unamenable to treatment after a period of hospitalization and then were sent to prison via the courts under the ambiguous judicial system that determines the fate of sexual offenders in the state of California.”[10] Through an NIMH "Hospital Improvement" grant (1971–75), Dr. Serber[11] and his coauthor Claudia Keith MA led improvements in ASH's programs.[3]

ASH's treatment programs have reflected the psychiatric assumptions of the times.[12][13] Initially constructed to treat mentally disordered sex offenders (MDSOs), initial programs focused on separation from society, albeit in an environment which provided freedom of movement. This was restricted after patient escapes. Initial research and treatment programs aimed at understanding and reducing the risk of reoffense in sexual offenders.[14][15][16][10][17][18][19][20][21] In the early 1980s, the focus of the hospital's treatment programs shifted to patients found not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI) and incompetent to stand trial; ASH was a pioneer in developing effective treatment programs for the latter.[22] In the 1990s, California passed sexually violent predator (SVP) laws, imposing civil commitment upon prisoners meeting criteria upon the expiration of their determinate prison term. SVPs were housed in ASH until the new state hospital in Coalinga opened around 2004.

In the mid-1980s, a US Department of Justice investigation under the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA) led to important and positive clinical reforms at ASH. Sidney F. Herndon was the Executive Director throughout the 1980s and brought in a strong clinical and administrative team and built up the medical staff under Gordon Gritter MD as Clinical Director. David Saunders MD led the development of a forensic psychiatry fellowship, affiliated with UCSF-Fresno and UCLA. Harold Carmel MD and Mel Hunter JD MPA established the Atascadero Clinical Safety Project (ACSP) which conducted groundbreaking research into staff injuries from patient aggression.[23][24][25][26] After Carmel left to become CEO of the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo in 1991, Hunter and Colleen Love developed important programs to improve staff safety,[27][28][29] which won awards from the American Psychiatric Association.[30] and, in 1998, JCAHO's Ernest A. Codman Award in the Hospital Category.[31] In this era, ASH was an important center of research and teaching.[32][33][34][35][36][37][38]

Many clinical staff left ASH in the late 1990s with the advent of the SVPs, which was believed by many clinicians to compromise the hospital's mission of providing excellent care for persons with serious mental illness, as opposed to containment of sexually dangerous offenders.

When salaries for California prison mental health staff, especially psychiatrists, increased dramatically as a result of federal litigation, ASH lost many of its psychiatrists and other clinical staff.[citation needed][39] Psychiatrist salaries have been increased to levels just under the prison psychiatrist salaries, and ASH's psychiatrist staffing is now (2014) being rebuilt.[citation needed]

Another traumatic period came with another US DOJ CRIPA investigation in the mid-2000s. In 2007, Mel Hunter, by this time ASH Executive Director, was removed from his position as a result of his refusal to alter the clinical operations of the hospital at the behest of the DOJ consultants. He was replaced by new hospital leadership. In the event, the imposition of the atypical views of consultants with no experience in forensic psychiatry led to a degradation of clinical operations and safety, with great spikes in patient violence that came to an end when the consultants left the hospital following exposés by the LA Times into apparent cronyism.[40][41][42]

A 2018 law review article [43] reported that in 2004 then-CEO Mel Hunter had supported research showing that SVP reoffense was much lower than claimed: "This Article uses internal memoranda and emails to describe the efforts of the California Department of Mental Health to suppress a serious and well-designed study that showed just 6.5% of untreated sexually violent predators were arrested for a new sex crime within 4.8 years of release from a locked mental facility. ... these results undermine the justification for indeterminate lifetime commitment of sex offenders." Three days after Hunter's removal in 2007, his successor issued a memo terminating the study and prohibiting the use of "the previously gathered data for publication, research, testimony, or any other purpose."[44] This suggests a second reason for Hunter's exit and is a coda to ASH's history as a research center.

Patient-on-patient homicides Edit

On July 17, 1990 a 59 year old property clerk of the hospital was fatally attacked by a patient named Terry Caylor.[45]

On March 30, 2008, 44-year-old inmate Earl McKee strangled a fellow inmate, 37-year-old Lawrence Rael, to death with a knotted towel. McKee was originally institutionalized as a "Mentally Disordered Offender". In 2007, after making abusive threats to other inmates, he was reclassified as a "Sexually Violent Predator". The murder came in the wake of federal court-mandated changes that reduced the usage of medication and restraints on patients, as well as a large turnover in staffing resulting in less experienced personnel working at the hospital.[46]

On May 28, 2014, a patient was killed and an employee was severely injured during an alleged attack by a patient.[1]

Drastic changes since appointment of court monitors Edit

In recent years, the hospital, under the threat of a lawsuit by the United States Justice Department alleging violations of the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act, has been implementing a court-approved Enhancement Plan to bring the hospital into compliance with CRIPA. The Enhancement Plan was proposed and implemented by the "Human Potential Consulting Group" out of Alexandria, Virginia. This consulting group consists of various clinical professionals who have been contracted by other states to ensure compliance with CRIPA. In some states the consultants serve as court monitors while others serve as consultants. They regularly switch roles from Justice Department monitors to consultants, depending on the state.

Notable patients Edit

Employees Edit

Approximately 2,140 employees work at DSH-Atascadero providing round-the-clock care, including psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, rehabilitation therapists, psychiatric technicians, registered nurses, and other clinical and administrative staff. There are approximately 173 different job classifications at the facility, including hospital police, kitchen staff, custodial staff, warehouse workers, groundskeepers, information technology staff, plant operations staff, spiritual leaders, and other clinical and administrative staff. DSHA provides on-site training programs for a variety of schools, including nurse practitioner programs, psychiatric technician training, clinical psychology and dietetic internship programs. DSH-Atascadero is also the regional training center for hospital police officers throughout the State of California.

Police Department Edit

Department of State Hospitals -Atascadero has its own full service unarmed law enforcement agency of over 200 sworn personnel. Police Officers are sworn law enforcement officers whose authority is granted under California Penal Code Section 830. DSH police officers are not affiliated with California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). The police officers of the Department of State Hospitals are peace officers whose authority extends to any place in the state for the purpose of performing their primary duty or when making an arrest pursuant to Section 836 as to any public offense with respect to which there is immediate danger to person or property, or of the escape of the perpetrator of that offense, or pursuant to Section 8597 or 8598 of the Government Code provided that the primary duty of the peace officers shall be the enforcement of the law as set forth in Sections 4311, 4313, 4491, and 4493 of the Welfare and Institutions Code. DSH police officers are granted authority by the California Welfare and Institutions Code to enforce policies and directives set forth by the administration of Department of State Hospitals.

DSH police officers enforce the California Penal Code, as well as the California Vehicle Code, and are granted authority by the State of California to make arrests and issue citations. It is the primary function of the Department of State Hospitals' police officers to provide safety, service, and security to patients, employees and the public in and around each hospital. However, this police department does assist neighboring law enforcement agencies with police activities and functions, off-site of the grounds of DSHA. In addition to police responsibilities and investigations, police officers work closely with clinical staff to ensure the safe treatment of the patients of DSHA.

Popular culture Edit

One of radio host Phil Hendrie's recurring fictional characters is Herb Sewell, a former sex offender who was remanded for eight years at Atascadero State Hospital.

References Edit

  1. ^ a b "Atascadero State Hospital patient killed in attack". U-T San Diego. May 29, 2014. from the original on May 30, 2014. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
  2. ^ . atascaderochamber.org. Archived from the original on March 14, 2016. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
  3. ^ a b Brecher, Edward M. (December 16, 1978). "Treatment Programs for Sex Offenders". Department of Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, National Institute of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice. from the original on January 27, 2021. Retrieved November 28, 2020 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ "Los Angeles Free PressMarch 16-26, 1973 — Independent Voices". voices.revealdigital.org. from the original on 2021-01-27. Retrieved 2020-11-25.
  5. ^ See also Don Jackson, "Dachau for Queers”, in The Gay Liberation Book, ed. Len Richmond & Gary Noguera, Ramparts Press, San Francisco (1973), 42-50; and LaStala, John, “Atascadero: Dachau for Queers?”. The Advocate, April 26th, 1972
  6. ^ Foreword: The Marriage Cases-Reversing the Burden of Inertia in a Pluralist Constitutional Democracy by William N. Eskridget. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  7. ^ Another citation from the Calif Law Review article: Rob Cole, Inside Atascadero: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Treatment, ADVOCATE, Oct. 11, 1972, at 5.
  8. ^ "Stonewall Uprising | American Experience | PBS". www.pbs.org. from the original on 2020-11-25. Retrieved 2020-11-25.
  9. ^ Ross, Alex (5 November 2012). "Love on the March". The New Yorker. from the original on 2020-12-08. Retrieved 2020-11-25.
  10. ^ a b Michael Serber M.D. & Claudia G. Keith M.A. (1976) The Atascadero Project:, Journal of Homosexuality, 1:1, 87-97, doi:10.1300/J082v01n01_07
  11. ^ "Obituary: Michael Serber 1932–1974". pdfslide.net. from the original on 2021-01-27. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  12. ^ Serber, Michael (September 1972). "Teaching the nonverbal components of assertive training". Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry. 3 (3): 179–183. doi:10.1016/0005-7916(72)90070-5.
  13. ^ Serber, Michael; Nelson, Philip (July 1971). "The ineffectiveness of systematic desensitization and assertive training in hospitalized schizophrenics". Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry. 2 (2): 107–109. doi:10.1016/0005-7916(71)90022-X.
  14. ^ Sturgeon, Vikki Henlie; Taylor, John (1980–1981). "Report of a Five-Year Follow-Up Study of Mentally Disordered Sex Offenders Released from Atascadero State Hospital in 1973 Symposium: Differential Treatment of the Sex Offender in California 4 Criminal Justice Journal 1980-1981". Criminal Justice Journal. 4: 31. from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  15. ^ Rada, Richard T.; Laws, D. R.; Kellner, Robert (1976). "Plasma Testosterone Levels in the Rapist. : Psychosomatic Medicine". Psychosomatic Medicine. 38 (4): 257–68. doi:10.1097/00006842-197607000-00004. PMID 940905. S2CID 20895227.
  16. ^ Serber, Michael (September 1970). "Shame aversion therapy". Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry. 1 (3): 213–215. doi:10.1016/0005-7916(70)90005-4.
  17. ^ Marques, Janice K.; Wiederanders, Mark; Day, David M.; Nelson, Craig; Ommeren, Alice (2005). "Effects of a Relapse Prevention Program on Sexual Recidivism: Final Results From California?s Sex Offender Treatment and Evaluation Project (SOTEP)". Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment. 17 (1): 79–107. doi:10.1007/s11194-005-1212-x. PMID 15757007. S2CID 195281293.
  18. ^ Laws, D. R. (1977). "A comparison of the measurement characteristics of two circumferential penile transducers". Archives of Sexual Behavior. 6 (1): 45–51. doi:10.1007/BF01579247. PMID 836143. S2CID 33488022.
  19. ^ Melnyk, John; Derencsenyi, Anna; Vanasek, Frank; Rucci, Alfred J.; Thompson, Havelock (25 October 1969). "XYY Survey in an Institution for Sex Offenders and the Mentally III". Nature. 224 (5217): 369–370. Bibcode:1969Natur.224..369M. doi:10.1038/224369a0. PMID 5343882. S2CID 4292921.
  20. ^ Laws, D. Richard (1974). "Failure of a Token Economy, The 38 Federal Probation 1974". Federal Probation. 38: 33. from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  21. ^ Haynes, Robert L.; Marques, Janice K. (1 June 1984). "Patterns of Suicide among Hospitalized Mentally Disordered Offenders". Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior. 14 (2): 113–125. doi:10.1111/j.1943-278X.1984.tb00342.x. PMID 6334911.
  22. ^ Noffsinger, Stephen G. (1 June 2001). "Restoration to Competency Practice Guidelines". Int J Offender Ther Comp Criminol. 45 (3): 356–362. doi:10.1177/0306624X01453007. S2CID 73036831.
  23. ^ Carmel, Harold; Hunter, Mel (1 December 1993). "Staff Injuries from Patient Attack: Five Years' Data". J Am Acad Psychiatry Law. 21 (4): 485–493. from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016 – via www.jaapl.org.
  24. ^ Carmel, Harold; Hunter, Mel (1 September 1991). "Psychiatrists Injured by Patient Attack". J Am Acad Psychiatry Law. 19 (3): 309–315. PMID 1777692. from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016 – via www.jaapl.org.
  25. ^ Hunter, M; Carmel, H (1992). "The cost of staff injuries from inpatient violence". Hospital and Community Psychiatry. 43 (6): 586–588. doi:10.1176/ps.43.6.586. PMID 1534781.
  26. ^ Carmel H, Hunter M. Compliance with training in Managing Assaultive Behavior and injuries from inpatient violence. Hosp Comm Psychiatry 41:558-560,1990
  27. ^ Love, CC; Hunter, M (1999). "The Atascadero State Hospital experience. Engaging patients in violence prevention". J Psychosoc Nurs Ment Health Serv. 37 (9): 32–6. doi:10.3928/0279-3695-19990901-10. PMID 10486772.
  28. ^ Hunter, M. E.; Love, C. C. (1996). "Total quality management and the reduction of inpatient violence and costs in a forensic psychiatric hospital". Psychiatric Services. 47 (7): 751–754. doi:10.1176/ps.47.7.751. PMID 8807690.
  29. ^ Becker, Mark; Love, Colleen C.; Hunter, Melvin E. (1997). "Intractability is relative: Behaviour therapy in the elimination of violence in psychotic forensic patients". Legal and Criminological Psychology. 2: 89–101. doi:10.1111/j.2044-8333.1997.tb00335.x. S2CID 144396440.
  30. ^ Hamilton-Wentworth Health Service o (1999). "Significant Achievement Awards". Psychiatric Services. 50 (11): 1481–1485. doi:10.1176/ps.50.11.1481. PMID 10543868.
  31. ^ "Atascadero State Hospital". The Joint Commission. from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved August 1, 2007.
  32. ^ Marques, Janice K.; Haynes, Robert L.; Nelson, Craig (March 1993). "Forensic treatment in the United States: A survey of selected forensic hospitals". International Journal of Law and Psychiatry. 16 (1–2): 57–70. doi:10.1016/0160-2527(93)90015-7. PMID 8500969.
  33. ^ Klinge, Valerie (1 February 1994). "Staff Opinions About Seclusion and Restraint at a State Forensic Hospital". Psychiatric Services. 45 (2): 138–141. doi:10.1176/ps.45.2.138. PMID 8168792.
  34. ^ Marques, Janice K. (1 April 1999). "How to Answer the Question "Does Sex Offender Treatment Work?"". J Interpers Violence. 14 (4): 437–451. doi:10.1177/088626099014004006. S2CID 145602838.
  35. ^ Gacono, Carl B.; Hutton, Heidi E. (June 1994). "Suggestions for the clinical and forensic use of the hare psychopathy checklist-revised (PCL-R)". International Journal of Law and Psychiatry. 17 (3): 303–317. doi:10.1016/0160-2527(94)90032-9. PMID 7995688.
  36. ^ Reed, Karen J. (1 January 2002). "Music Therapy Treatment Croups for Mentally Disordered Offenders (MDO) in a State Hospital Setting". Music Ther Perspect. 20 (2): 98–104. doi:10.1093/mtp/20.2.98 – via mtp.oxfordjournals.org.
  37. ^ Gacono, Carl B.; Meloy, J. Reid; Sheppard, Karen; Speth, Eric; Roske, Allan (1 September 1995). "A Clinical Investigation of Malingering and Psychopathy in Hospitalized Insanity Acquittees". J Am Acad Psychiatry Law. 23 (3): 387–397. PMID 8845529. from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016 – via www.jaapl.org.
  38. ^ Gibler, Brian; Hayes, Grace; Raleigh, Fred; Levenson, Barbara; Heber, Sheryl; Tham, Ann (1 August 1996). "Forensic Psychiatric Pharmacy Practice at Atascadero State Hospital". Journal of Pharmacy Practice. 9 (4): 222–228. doi:10.1177/089719009600900403. S2CID 71883646.
  39. ^ . Archived from the original on December 29, 2014.
  40. ^ Romney, Lee; Hoeffel, John (17 June 2012). "Ex-consultant to California mental hospitals criticized elsewhere". Los Angeles Times. from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  41. ^ Hoeffel, John; Romney, Lee (14 April 2012). "California hires relatives of hospital reform effort's leader". Los Angeles Times. from the original on 8 March 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  42. ^ Romney, Lee; Hoeffel, John (28 January 2011). "Consultant to California mental hospitals abruptly resigns". Los Angeles Times. from the original on 20 August 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  43. ^ Tamara Rice Lave & Franklin E. Zimring: Assessing the Real Risk of Sexually Violent Predators: Doctor Padilla's Dangerous Data, 55 Am. Crim. L. Rev. 705 (2018)
  44. ^ Lave, Tamara Rice; Zimring, Franklin E. (January 2018). "Assessing the Real Risk of Sexually Violent Predators: Doctor Padilla's Dangerous Data". University of Miami School of Law Institutional Repository | University of Miami Law School Research. from the original on 2021-01-27. Retrieved 2021-01-27.
  45. ^ "State Mental Institute Employee Slain, Patient Held". AP NEWS. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  46. ^ Romney, Lee (April 4, 2008). "Patient's slaying rattles hospital". Los Angeles Times. p. B1. from the original on October 23, 2013. Retrieved September 17, 2012.
  47. ^ "Judge refuses to release killer". Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  48. ^ LYNCH, RENE (17 December 1992). "Slayer of Seven Is Sent Back to Atascadero : Treatment: Ex-janitor who shot nine people at CSUF in 1976 is found 'not appropriate' for Napa State Hospital". Los Angeles Times. from the original on 19 August 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
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External links Edit

  • Official website

35°27′49″N 120°38′06″W / 35.46361°N 120.63500°W / 35.46361; -120.63500

October 15, 2023
atascadero, state, hospital, formally, known, california, department, state, hospitals, atascadero, dsha, located, central, coast, california, luis, obispo, county, halfway, between, angeles, francisco, dsha, male, maximum, security, facility, forensic, instit. Atascadero State Hospital formally known as California Department of State Hospitals Atascadero DSHA is located on the Central Coast of California in San Luis Obispo County halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco DSHA is an all male maximum security facility forensic institution that houses mentally ill convicts who have been committed to psychiatric facilities by California s courts 1 Located on a 700 acre grounds in the city of Atascadero California it is the largest employer in that town 2 DSHA is not a general purpose public hospital and the only patients admitted are those that are referred to the hospital by the Superior Court Board of Prison Terms or the Department of Corrections California Department of State HospitalsGeographyLocationAtascadero California United StatesOrganizationCare systemPsychiatric wardTypeForensic psychiatryServicesEmergency departmentDepartment of State Hospitals Atascadero Police Department DSHAPD ASHPD or DPS Beds1239HistoryOpened1954LinksWebsiteOfficial websiteListsHospitals in California Contents 1 History 1 1 Patient on patient homicides 2 Drastic changes since appointment of court monitors 3 Notable patients 4 Employees 5 Police Department 6 Popular culture 7 References 8 External linksHistory EditAtascadero State Hospital ASH opened in 1954 as a state run self contained public sector forensic psychiatric facility It is enclosed within a security perimeter and accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations JCAHO Patients are referred to the hospital by the Superior Court Board of Prison Terms or the Department of Corrections According to a 1978 Federal study of sex offender treatment programs 3 An informal history of ASH distributed in 1975 reports that Atascadero opened with the philosophy that good therapy could be carried on in a security setting and that modern methods of psychiatric treatment based on a therapeutic community concept would most likely succeed The problems of therapy vs security and prison vs hospital immediately developed and hindered successful treatment The belief that criminals should be punished for their crime and not babied haunted the hospital program For several years beginning in 1959 a series of unfortunate and tragic accidents occurred at the hospital A number of escapes and violent incidents in addition to widespread community concern led to a special investigation of the hospital s problems which ultimately resulted in a revamping of its organization administration and treatment programs beginning in 1961 The 1960 s were also a troubled decade for Atascadero plagued by internal dissension staff rebellions and occasional scandal As early as the 1970s ASH was referred to as a Dachau for Queers The term appeared in a March 16 1972 L A Free Press article with an Editor s Note stating The following story is an edited version of Don Jackson s article Dachau For Queers which originally appeared in The Gay Liberation Book by Ramparts Press 4 5 A 2009 California Law Review article commented One reason for this appellation was that inmates sic were subjected to experimental therapies electrical and pharmacological shock treatments in addition to lobotomies to cure them of their sex perversion 6 7 Recent appearances of this term include a 2011 PBS American Experiences documentary Stonewall Uprising which was rebroadcast in 2020 8 and a 2012 New Yorker article 9 In 1976 Michael Serber MD then ASH Clinical Director coauthored a paper commenting The history of treatment for the homosexual at this institution has mainly centered around inadequate and sometimes cruel attempts at conversion to heterosexuality or asexuality There is an intermittent history of aversive conditioning These aversive techniques had extended even to the use of succinylcholine and electroconvulsive shock treatment as punishment for homosexual offenders who had deviated within the hospital At the very minimum homosexuals were frequently degraded by staff whose attitudes concerning homosexuality were punitive and judgmental More homosexual patients than heterosexual had been defined as unamenable to treatment after a period of hospitalization and then were sent to prison via the courts under the ambiguous judicial system that determines the fate of sexual offenders in the state of California 10 Through an NIMH Hospital Improvement grant 1971 75 Dr Serber 11 and his coauthor Claudia Keith MA led improvements in ASH s programs 3 ASH s treatment programs have reflected the psychiatric assumptions of the times 12 13 Initially constructed to treat mentally disordered sex offenders MDSOs initial programs focused on separation from society albeit in an environment which provided freedom of movement This was restricted after patient escapes Initial research and treatment programs aimed at understanding and reducing the risk of reoffense in sexual offenders 14 15 16 10 17 18 19 20 21 In the early 1980s the focus of the hospital s treatment programs shifted to patients found not guilty by reason of insanity NGRI and incompetent to stand trial ASH was a pioneer in developing effective treatment programs for the latter 22 In the 1990s California passed sexually violent predator SVP laws imposing civil commitment upon prisoners meeting criteria upon the expiration of their determinate prison term SVPs were housed in ASH until the new state hospital in Coalinga opened around 2004 In the mid 1980s a US Department of Justice investigation under the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act CRIPA led to important and positive clinical reforms at ASH Sidney F Herndon was the Executive Director throughout the 1980s and brought in a strong clinical and administrative team and built up the medical staff under Gordon Gritter MD as Clinical Director David Saunders MD led the development of a forensic psychiatry fellowship affiliated with UCSF Fresno and UCLA Harold Carmel MD and Mel Hunter JD MPA established the Atascadero Clinical Safety Project ACSP which conducted groundbreaking research into staff injuries from patient aggression 23 24 25 26 After Carmel left to become CEO of the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo in 1991 Hunter and Colleen Love developed important programs to improve staff safety 27 28 29 which won awards from the American Psychiatric Association 30 and in 1998 JCAHO s Ernest A Codman Award in the Hospital Category 31 In this era ASH was an important center of research and teaching 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 Many clinical staff left ASH in the late 1990s with the advent of the SVPs which was believed by many clinicians to compromise the hospital s mission of providing excellent care for persons with serious mental illness as opposed to containment of sexually dangerous offenders When salaries for California prison mental health staff especially psychiatrists increased dramatically as a result of federal litigation ASH lost many of its psychiatrists and other clinical staff citation needed 39 Psychiatrist salaries have been increased to levels just under the prison psychiatrist salaries and ASH s psychiatrist staffing is now 2014 being rebuilt citation needed Another traumatic period came with another US DOJ CRIPA investigation in the mid 2000s In 2007 Mel Hunter by this time ASH Executive Director was removed from his position as a result of his refusal to alter the clinical operations of the hospital at the behest of the DOJ consultants He was replaced by new hospital leadership In the event the imposition of the atypical views of consultants with no experience in forensic psychiatry led to a degradation of clinical operations and safety with great spikes in patient violence that came to an end when the consultants left the hospital following exposes by the LA Times into apparent cronyism 40 41 42 A 2018 law review article 43 reported that in 2004 then CEO Mel Hunter had supported research showing that SVP reoffense was much lower than claimed This Article uses internal memoranda and emails to describe the efforts of the California Department of Mental Health to suppress a serious and well designed study that showed just 6 5 of untreated sexually violent predators were arrested for a new sex crime within 4 8 years of release from a locked mental facility these results undermine the justification for indeterminate lifetime commitment of sex offenders Three days after Hunter s removal in 2007 his successor issued a memo terminating the study and prohibiting the use of the previously gathered data for publication research testimony or any other purpose 44 This suggests a second reason for Hunter s exit and is a coda to ASH s history as a research center Patient on patient homicides Edit On July 17 1990 a 59 year old property clerk of the hospital was fatally attacked by a patient named Terry Caylor 45 On March 30 2008 44 year old inmate Earl McKee strangled a fellow inmate 37 year old Lawrence Rael to death with a knotted towel McKee was originally institutionalized as a Mentally Disordered Offender In 2007 after making abusive threats to other inmates he was reclassified as a Sexually Violent Predator The murder came in the wake of federal court mandated changes that reduced the usage of medication and restraints on patients as well as a large turnover in staffing resulting in less experienced personnel working at the hospital 46 On May 28 2014 a patient was killed and an employee was severely injured during an alleged attack by a patient 1 Drastic changes since appointment of court monitors EditThe neutrality of this article is disputed Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page Please do not remove this message until conditions to do so are met May 2013 Learn how and when to remove this template message In recent years the hospital under the threat of a lawsuit by the United States Justice Department alleging violations of the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act has been implementing a court approved Enhancement Plan to bring the hospital into compliance with CRIPA The Enhancement Plan was proposed and implemented by the Human Potential Consulting Group out of Alexandria Virginia This consulting group consists of various clinical professionals who have been contracted by other states to ensure compliance with CRIPA In some states the consultants serve as court monitors while others serve as consultants They regularly switch roles from Justice Department monitors to consultants depending on the state Notable patients EditEdward Charles Allaway Mass murderer 47 48 Arthur Leigh Allen Zodiac Killer suspect William Bonin Serial killer Bunny Breckinridge Actor convicted of sex perversion involving minors 49 Joseph Danks Spree killer James Hydrick Sex offender John David Norman Sex offender 50 Edmund Kemper Serial killer 51 Roy Norris One of the two Toolbox Killers Scott Harlan Thorpe Spree killer 52 Erwin Walker WW2 veteran convicted of several crimes including murder Charles Tex Watson Serial killer member of the Manson familyEmployees EditApproximately 2 140 employees work at DSH Atascadero providing round the clock care including psychologists psychiatrists social workers rehabilitation therapists psychiatric technicians registered nurses and other clinical and administrative staff There are approximately 173 different job classifications at the facility including hospital police kitchen staff custodial staff warehouse workers groundskeepers information technology staff plant operations staff spiritual leaders and other clinical and administrative staff DSHA provides on site training programs for a variety of schools including nurse practitioner programs psychiatric technician training clinical psychology and dietetic internship programs DSH Atascadero is also the regional training center for hospital police officers throughout the State of California Police Department EditDepartment of State Hospitals Atascadero has its own full service unarmed law enforcement agency of over 200 sworn personnel Police Officers are sworn law enforcement officers whose authority is granted under California Penal Code Section 830 DSH police officers are not affiliated with California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation CDCR The police officers of the Department of State Hospitals are peace officers whose authority extends to any place in the state for the purpose of performing their primary duty or when making an arrest pursuant to Section 836 as to any public offense with respect to which there is immediate danger to person or property or of the escape of the perpetrator of that offense or pursuant to Section 8597 or 8598 of the Government Code provided that the primary duty of the peace officers shall be the enforcement of the law as set forth in Sections 4311 4313 4491 and 4493 of the Welfare and Institutions Code DSH police officers are granted authority by the California Welfare and Institutions Code to enforce policies and directives set forth by the administration of Department of State Hospitals DSH police officers enforce the California Penal Code as well as the California Vehicle Code and are granted authority by the State of California to make arrests and issue citations It is the primary function of the Department of State Hospitals police officers to provide safety service and security to patients employees and the public in and around each hospital However this police department does assist neighboring law enforcement agencies with police activities and functions off site of the grounds of DSHA In addition to police responsibilities and investigations police officers work closely with clinical staff to ensure the safe treatment of the patients of DSHA Popular culture EditOne of radio host Phil Hendrie s recurring fictional characters is Herb Sewell a former sex offender who was remanded for eight years at Atascadero State Hospital References Edit a b Atascadero State Hospital patient killed in attack U T San Diego May 29 2014 Archived from the original on May 30 2014 Retrieved May 30 2014 Atascadero Chamber of Commerce Economic Profile atascaderochamber org Archived from the original on March 14 2016 Retrieved April 2 2016 a b Brecher Edward M December 16 1978 Treatment Programs for Sex Offenders Department of Justice Law Enforcement Assistance Administration National Institute of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Archived from the original on January 27 2021 Retrieved November 28 2020 via Google Books Los Angeles Free PressMarch 16 26 1973 Independent Voices voices revealdigital org Archived from the original on 2021 01 27 Retrieved 2020 11 25 See also Don Jackson Dachau for Queers in The Gay Liberation Book ed Len Richmond amp Gary Noguera Ramparts Press San Francisco 1973 42 50 and LaStala John Atascadero Dachau for Queers The Advocate April 26th 1972 Foreword The Marriage Cases Reversing the Burden of Inertia in a Pluralist Constitutional Democracy by William N Eskridget a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a work ignored help Another citation from the Calif Law Review article Rob Cole Inside Atascadero Life Liberty and the Pursuit of Treatment ADVOCATE Oct 11 1972 at 5 Stonewall Uprising American Experience PBS www pbs org Archived from the original on 2020 11 25 Retrieved 2020 11 25 Ross Alex 5 November 2012 Love on the March The New Yorker Archived from the original on 2020 12 08 Retrieved 2020 11 25 a b Michael Serber M D amp Claudia G Keith M A 1976 The Atascadero Project Journal of Homosexuality 1 1 87 97 doi 10 1300 J082v01n01 07 Obituary Michael Serber 1932 1974 pdfslide net Archived from the original on 2021 01 27 Retrieved 2020 11 29 Serber Michael September 1972 Teaching the nonverbal components of assertive training Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry 3 3 179 183 doi 10 1016 0005 7916 72 90070 5 Serber Michael Nelson Philip July 1971 The ineffectiveness of systematic desensitization and assertive training in hospitalized schizophrenics Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry 2 2 107 109 doi 10 1016 0005 7916 71 90022 X Sturgeon Vikki Henlie Taylor John 1980 1981 Report of a Five Year Follow Up Study of Mentally Disordered Sex Offenders Released from Atascadero State Hospital in 1973 Symposium Differential Treatment of the Sex Offender in California 4 Criminal Justice Journal 1980 1981 Criminal Justice Journal 4 31 Archived from the original on 3 March 2016 Retrieved 10 July 2016 Rada Richard T Laws D R Kellner Robert 1976 Plasma Testosterone Levels in the Rapist Psychosomatic Medicine Psychosomatic Medicine 38 4 257 68 doi 10 1097 00006842 197607000 00004 PMID 940905 S2CID 20895227 Serber Michael September 1970 Shame aversion therapy Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry 1 3 213 215 doi 10 1016 0005 7916 70 90005 4 Marques Janice K Wiederanders Mark Day David M Nelson Craig Ommeren Alice 2005 Effects of a Relapse Prevention Program on Sexual Recidivism Final Results From California s Sex Offender Treatment and Evaluation Project SOTEP Sexual Abuse A Journal of Research and Treatment 17 1 79 107 doi 10 1007 s11194 005 1212 x PMID 15757007 S2CID 195281293 Laws D R 1977 A comparison of the measurement characteristics of two circumferential penile transducers Archives of Sexual Behavior 6 1 45 51 doi 10 1007 BF01579247 PMID 836143 S2CID 33488022 Melnyk John Derencsenyi Anna Vanasek Frank Rucci Alfred J Thompson Havelock 25 October 1969 XYY Survey in an Institution for Sex Offenders and the Mentally III Nature 224 5217 369 370 Bibcode 1969Natur 224 369M doi 10 1038 224369a0 PMID 5343882 S2CID 4292921 Laws D Richard 1974 Failure of a Token Economy The 38 Federal Probation 1974 Federal Probation 38 33 Archived from the original on 4 March 2016 Retrieved 10 July 2016 Haynes Robert L Marques Janice K 1 June 1984 Patterns of Suicide among Hospitalized Mentally Disordered Offenders Suicide and Life Threatening Behavior 14 2 113 125 doi 10 1111 j 1943 278X 1984 tb00342 x PMID 6334911 Noffsinger Stephen G 1 June 2001 Restoration to Competency Practice Guidelines Int J Offender Ther Comp Criminol 45 3 356 362 doi 10 1177 0306624X01453007 S2CID 73036831 Carmel Harold Hunter Mel 1 December 1993 Staff Injuries from Patient Attack Five Years Data J Am Acad Psychiatry Law 21 4 485 493 Archived from the original on 20 December 2016 Retrieved 10 July 2016 via www jaapl org Carmel Harold Hunter Mel 1 September 1991 Psychiatrists Injured by Patient Attack J Am Acad Psychiatry Law 19 3 309 315 PMID 1777692 Archived from the original on 20 December 2016 Retrieved 10 July 2016 via www jaapl org Hunter M Carmel H 1992 The cost of staff injuries from inpatient violence Hospital and Community Psychiatry 43 6 586 588 doi 10 1176 ps 43 6 586 PMID 1534781 Carmel H Hunter M Compliance with training in Managing Assaultive Behavior and injuries from inpatient violence Hosp Comm Psychiatry 41 558 560 1990 Love CC Hunter M 1999 The Atascadero State Hospital experience Engaging patients in violence prevention J Psychosoc Nurs Ment Health Serv 37 9 32 6 doi 10 3928 0279 3695 19990901 10 PMID 10486772 Hunter M E Love C C 1996 Total quality management and the reduction of inpatient violence and costs in a forensic psychiatric hospital Psychiatric Services 47 7 751 754 doi 10 1176 ps 47 7 751 PMID 8807690 Becker Mark Love Colleen C Hunter Melvin E 1997 Intractability is relative Behaviour therapy in the elimination of violence in psychotic forensic patients Legal and Criminological Psychology 2 89 101 doi 10 1111 j 2044 8333 1997 tb00335 x S2CID 144396440 Hamilton Wentworth Health Service o 1999 Significant Achievement Awards Psychiatric Services 50 11 1481 1485 doi 10 1176 ps 50 11 1481 PMID 10543868 Atascadero State Hospital The Joint Commission Archived from the original on September 27 2007 Retrieved August 1 2007 Marques Janice K Haynes Robert L Nelson Craig March 1993 Forensic treatment in the United States A survey of selected forensic hospitals International Journal of Law and Psychiatry 16 1 2 57 70 doi 10 1016 0160 2527 93 90015 7 PMID 8500969 Klinge Valerie 1 February 1994 Staff Opinions About Seclusion and Restraint at a State Forensic Hospital Psychiatric Services 45 2 138 141 doi 10 1176 ps 45 2 138 PMID 8168792 Marques Janice K 1 April 1999 How to Answer the Question Does Sex Offender Treatment Work J Interpers Violence 14 4 437 451 doi 10 1177 088626099014004006 S2CID 145602838 Gacono Carl B Hutton Heidi E June 1994 Suggestions for the clinical and forensic use of the hare psychopathy checklist revised PCL R International Journal of Law and Psychiatry 17 3 303 317 doi 10 1016 0160 2527 94 90032 9 PMID 7995688 Reed Karen J 1 January 2002 Music Therapy Treatment Croups for Mentally Disordered Offenders MDO in a State Hospital Setting Music Ther Perspect 20 2 98 104 doi 10 1093 mtp 20 2 98 via mtp oxfordjournals org Gacono Carl B Meloy J Reid Sheppard Karen Speth Eric Roske Allan 1 September 1995 A Clinical Investigation of Malingering and Psychopathy in Hospitalized Insanity Acquittees J Am Acad Psychiatry Law 23 3 387 397 PMID 8845529 Archived from the original on 20 December 2016 Retrieved 10 July 2016 via www jaapl org Gibler Brian Hayes Grace Raleigh Fred Levenson Barbara Heber Sheryl Tham Ann 1 August 1996 Forensic Psychiatric Pharmacy Practice at Atascadero State Hospital Journal of Pharmacy Practice 9 4 222 228 doi 10 1177 089719009600900403 S2CID 71883646 Mental Health News from North Carolina Mental Hope Archived from the original on December 29 2014 Romney Lee Hoeffel John 17 June 2012 Ex consultant to California mental hospitals criticized elsewhere Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on 6 March 2016 Retrieved 10 July 2016 Hoeffel John Romney Lee 14 April 2012 California hires relatives of hospital reform effort s leader Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on 8 March 2016 Retrieved 10 July 2016 Romney Lee Hoeffel John 28 January 2011 Consultant to California mental hospitals abruptly resigns Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on 20 August 2016 Retrieved 10 July 2016 Tamara Rice Lave amp Franklin E Zimring Assessing the Real Risk of Sexually Violent Predators Doctor Padilla s Dangerous Data 55 Am Crim L Rev 705 2018 Lave Tamara Rice Zimring Franklin E January 2018 Assessing the Real Risk of Sexually Violent Predators Doctor Padilla s Dangerous Data University of Miami School of Law Institutional Repository University of Miami Law School Research Archived from the original on 2021 01 27 Retrieved 2021 01 27 State Mental Institute Employee Slain Patient Held AP NEWS Retrieved 2022 08 18 Romney Lee April 4 2008 Patient s slaying rattles hospital Los Angeles Times p B1 Archived from the original on October 23 2013 Retrieved September 17 2012 Judge refuses to release killer Retrieved 10 July 2016 LYNCH RENE 17 December 1992 Slayer of Seven Is Sent Back to Atascadero Treatment Ex janitor who shot nine people at CSUF in 1976 is found not appropriate for Napa State Hospital Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on 19 August 2016 Retrieved 10 July 2016 OBITUARY John Bunny Breckinridge mailer fsu edu Archived from the original on 4 February 2013 Retrieved 19 March 2022 People v Norman No D054896 Casetext Search Citator casetext com Retrieved 2022 12 30 Edmund Kemper Biography www biography com A amp E Television Networks January 9 2017 Archived from the original on 2015 04 13 Retrieved May 27 2023 Thorpe pleads guilty to murder The Union Nevada County California March 21 2003 Archived from the original on September 30 2018 Retrieved September 30 2018 External links EditOfficial website35 27 49 N 120 38 06 W 35 46361 N 120 63500 W 35 46361 120 63500 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Atascadero State Hospital amp oldid 1173554292, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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