Psych patient transfer raises questions
Woman who stabbed a Hartford officer was moved to less-secure hospital
Under a recent Connecticut law enacted this fall, three people committed to the state’s Psychiatric Security Review Board after being found not guilty of their crimes by reason of insanity or mental defect have been granted so-called “step downs” from the maximum security Whiting Forensic Division at the Connecticut Valley Hospital campus in Middletown to Dutcher Hall, the less-secure but still locked inpatient unit.
One of the three patients who was recently moved to Dutcher Hall is Chevoughn Augustin, a woman who stabbed a former Hartford police officer during a seemingly routine landlord-tenant dispute that nearly turned deadly.
Officer Jill Kidik responded to Augustin’s home at 5 Constitution Plaza in downtown Hartford in May 2018. Augustin attacked the now-retired officer, stabbing her repeatedly in the neck until two maintenance workers at the building could pull Augustin off her and take away the eight-inch kitchen knife she was armed with, according to police and court records.
Augustin was charged with attempted murder, first-degree assault, assault on a peace officer, carrying a dangerous weapon, third-degree criminal mischief and first-degree unlawful restraint, according to Psychiatric Security Review Board and court records.
She was acquitted due to a history of mental health episodes and schizophrenia and committed in August 2021 to the custody of the Psychiatric Security Review Board for 38 years with an expected release of Aug. 24, 2059. She had been committed to the maximum security setting at Whiting Forensic Division, but in January was
moved to the lesser-enhanced security unit in Dutcher Hall, said Vanessa Cardella, executive director of the Psychiatric Security Review Board.
Under the law that went into effect in October of this year — which seeks to improve conditions for patients committed to the board — the board no longer requires public hearings to be held before ruling. That means that Kidik wasn’t allowed to share her concerns with the board before the decision was made.
The state’s attorney has since requested a public hearing regarding Augustin’s transfer that is slated for Friday, Cardella said.
New procedures
Before the law change, staff at Whiting would have to apply to the board for a transfer change in status. Now, the hospital can make the change “at their own discretion” with at least 48 hours’ notice to the board, said Cardella, who is tasked with notifying victims and prosecutors once a transfer is made. Then, state’s attorneys may request a hearing.
“The purpose for requesting a hearing is for the treatment team to say on the record, kind of, how they arrived at this decision to make the transfer and to allow the board and the attorneys the opportunity to ask questions,” said Cardella. “And it also provides the victims the opportunity to make an impact statement, that I think is really empowering for the victims in these cases.”
Cardella said she’s interacted with some victims who have concerns about the procedural change. She said she thinks some victims feel disempowered by the hearings happening after a decision has been made. But, she said, she does not think the board has changed what criteria is needed to be
met for someone to qualify for a transfer to a lower-security setting. The patients’ well-being has always been a part of the equation.
As part of the law, which includes plans to build a new facility for Whiting, the board is tasked with considering the safety and well-being of the person committed to the custody of the board.
That means that when considering whether or not someone should “step down” to a lesser-security branch of the state’s only mandated psychiatric hospital, they will consider not only the safety of the community at large, but also what will benefit the patient’s well-being. The only difference is that now it is written into law what they have already practiced, Cardella said.
“I think the board has always done that because the well-being of the acquittee equates to public safety. So I think it’s something that has always been at the crux of decision-making,” said Cardella. I think that it’s good that it’s something that is now written or considered in terms of mission or the board’s role, but I don’t think it changed anything in terms of how they approach a case.”
Cordella added in a statement that under the new law, “the board will approach each notice of transfer with the same careful lens it has always used to evaluate whether there is evidence to support a change in status from a well-being and risk management perspective.”
While the Whiting Forensic Division has the highest level of security, Dutcher Hall is a locked inpatient setting with enhanced security where patients start with a low level of privilege, including gradual access to the hospital grounds and staff-supervised community trips but are never granted unsupervised time outside of their treatment unit, according to Arthur Mongillo, spokesperson for the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.
A consulting forensic psychiatrist from the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services works with each treatment team to assess risk and review requests for increased privileges every week, he said.
Mongillo said that moving to the lesser-security Dutcher Hall is a slow step toward reintegration into society.
“If a person has shown that they’re adhering to their treatment, they’re clinically stable, they go before the review board and they decide that they’re able to take that step down, I think it’s in the best interest of their safety as well,” he said.
The changes to the board’s practices and the commitment to rebuilding Whiting came after the state took a hard look at the facility following legal action and a lengthy investigation into long-term abuse.
Cardella stressed that when a person is committed following an acquittal of not guilty by reason of insanity or mental defect, they’re committed not to Whiting specifically, but to the custody of the Psychiatric Security Review Board and to confinement at whichever facility is deemed most appropriate for their needs.
Augustin was the third person to be moved under the new law.
Michael Karolkowski, who was charged with first-degree arson in connection to an incident on April 16, 2017, was committed to the board on Jan. 6, 2020, for a period of 25 years. He was transferred to Dutcher Hall on Oct. 5, 2022, just after the law went into effect, according to Cardella.
James Ward, who was charged with third-degree assault of a victim 60 years or older, first-degree sexual assault, third-degree sexual assault and first-degree unlawful restraint, was committed to the board for 17 years on Nov. 27, 2006. His crime took place in 2005, and his commitment is set to expire on Nov. 26. He was transferred from Whiting to Dutcher on Dec. 15, 2022, Cardella said.