4440 Department of State Hospitals
Program Descriptions

4380 - IN-PATIENT SERVICES PROGRAM

The In-Patient Services Program administers the California state hospital system, the Conditional Release Program, the Sex Offender Commitment Program, the Restoration of Competency Program, and the treatment and evaluation of judicially and civilly committed patients.

Program Administration

Program Administration includes headquarters functions that support the state hospital system, including policy development and management, licensing oversight, patients' rights coordination, clinical oversight, data research and fiscal management.

In-Patient Services

The state hospital system includes five state hospitals: Atascadero, Metropolitan-Los Angeles, Napa, Patton, and Coalinga. In addition, this program includes three inpatient psychiatric programs located at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville, Salinas Valley State Prison in Salinas Valley and within the California Health Care Facility in Stockton. The three psychiatric programs provide treatment services to CDCR inmates. Mental health treatment services at all facilities are delivered by clinical teams who provide full-time inpatient care to the most serious mentally ill and those incapable of living in the community.

Conditional Release

The Conditional Release Program (CONREP) is the statewide system of community-based services for specified forensic patients. Mandated as a state responsibility by the Governor's Mental Health Initiative of 1984, the program began operations on January 1, 1986.

The goal of CONREP is to ensure greater public protection in California communities via an effective and standardized community outpatient treatment system.

Restoration of Competency

The Restoration of Competency (ROC) Program focuses on defendants deemed Incompetent to Stand Trial in accordance with Penal Code Section 1370. The ROC Program provides mental health treatment to defendants in a jail-based or community setting, restoring them to competency, and allowing for participation in court proceedings and ensuring due process.

4385 - EVALUATION AND FORENSIC SERVICES

Evaluation and Forensic Services is comprised of the Mentally Disordered Offender (MDO) and the Sexual Offender Commitment Program (SOCP). The MDO program applies only to prisoners whose crimes were committed on or after January 1, 1986. Penal Code Sections 2960-2981 require that a prisoner who meets six specific MDO criteria be ordered by the Board of Prison Terms to be treated by DSH as a condition of parole. Welfare and Institutions Code Section 6600 et seq. (Chapter 793, Statutes of 1995) was enacted January 1, 1996, establishing a new category of civil commitment for persons found, upon release from prison, to be sexually violent predators. The program serving these patients is the SOCP.

4390 - LEGAL SERVICES

The Legal Services Division is responsible for providing DSH with a full range of comprehensive legal services, including, but not limited to, developing legislation; providing litigation, Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and contract law advice to the state hospitals, psychiatric programs and headquarters; representing DSH at various court and administrative law proceedings involving involuntary medication, orders to show cause, and personnel issues throughout the state.