Competency Attainment Services

Services

Competency attainment services at AMRTC are structured mental health treatment and educational services provided by in-house interdisciplinary treatment teams that include psychiatric practitioners, psychologists, social workers, rehabilitation services, behavioral assistants, nursing, spiritual care services, and primary care practitioners. 

Treatment teams conduct regular assessments of patient progress toward attaining competency and identify and address barriers to each patient’s ability to understand criminal proceedings, consult with their attorney, and resolve their legal charges. The curriculum approved by the Minnesota Competency Attainment Board is used when providing competency attainment educational services. 

Referrals 

All referrals or court orders seeking admission to a DCT-operated facility certified as a Competency Attainment Program under Minn. Stat. 611.40-611.59 should contact DCT’s Central Pre-Admissions Office at 866-966-2337 or email centralpreadmissions@state.mn.us.

Admission 

Referrals to the Competency Attainment Program are reviewed by the Competency Attainment Medical Director or their designee. Admissions are based on a variety of criteria, including those specified under Minn. Stat. 611.40-611.59.

Legally, individuals must have active criminal charges for which they have been found not competent to proceed. There must be a reasonable likelihood for them to be restored to competency. Clinically, they must be appropriate for the level of care offered at AMRTC. 

If an individual is not accepted to the AMRTC Competency Attainment Program, rationale will be documented and provided directly to the criminal court, referral entity, and forensic navigator as applicable. 

As specified in Minn. Stat. 611, individuals do not require civil commitment to be admitted to the AMRTC for competency attainment, but do need a court order for treatment at a state-operated program, including a locked or secure program for competency attainment services. Although civil commitment is not a requirement for admission to AMRTC, there may be some situations where such a commitment is considered necessary for adequacy of treatment and post-discharge services. In such cases, the treating team will petition the county consistent with standard civil commitment procedures. 

Discharge 

Mental health treatment and clinical stabilization remain the primary focus for patients receiving competency attainment services at AMRTC. From the time of admission, treatment teams work closely with community and court partners, including forensic navigators, county case managers, client legal representatives, probation officers, and others to identify the next clinically appropriate level of care based on patient need. In most cases, patients will be discharged when it is determined that they no longer require inpatient hospital level of care. In these cases, treatment teams will provide written notification to the referring criminal court of the recommended next level of care and discharge patients back to the custody of law enforcement or other clinically appropriate settings in a manner consistent with referring court orders.