The recent release of Amando Lang, a murder suspect deemed unfit to stand trial in 2019, has sparked a thorough review and adjustments in the Milwaukee County's Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) policies. Lang, who was charged with first-degree intentional homicide for the stabbing of Ben Christianson, was released from a mental health facility without proper notification to the court or district attorney, as required by law.
An investigation into this lapse has led to a series of proposed changes, which were discussed during a Milwaukee County Committee on Health Equity, Human Needs and Strategic Planning meeting. Details of the changes were reported by CBS58, highlighting the efforts to prevent such an oversight from happening again. Notably, this issue came to light after Lang's mother called 911 on June 15, expressing concern about his reaction to medication, with local police responding, unaware of his release.
In response to the scrutiny, the DHHS executive director Shakita LaGrant-McClain and Behavioral Health Services Director Michael Lappen testified before the committee. "To go back in time to actually state what, or how, or when, I don't know that anybody is going to be able to track that down," stated Jennifer Rhodes, deputy corporation counsel for Milwaukee County, hinting at the difficulties in pinpointing the exact failure in the notification process, as reported by WISN News.
Meanwhile, Supervisor Kathleen Vincent expressed concerns for community safety, as well as the re-traumatization of the first responders and the victim's family, "They have been re-traumatized by this matter and so has the victim's family. And that should be taken into consideration," she told CBS58. As part of the outlined corrective measures, DHHS has requested updates to health records and developed mandatory training for county behavioral health services. Additionally, proposed changes in state law would require greater accountability for defendants' appearances in court to assess competency, and for inpatient treatment facilities to notify the county prior to any transfers or discharges.
The sequence of events and subsequent policy discussions has also prompted the Milwaukee County Committee on Audits to endorse an audit of Behavioral Health Services, pending full board approval. Furthermore, the Milwaukee County Mental Health Board has ordered its own audit, which DHHS will present in September, as mentioned in a report from TMJ4.
