Protections for health care workers lead to more felony arrests for those in mental crisis in Washington

Washington is just one of many states that makes an assault on a health care worker a felony offense, but recent reporting from the Marshall Project and the Seattle Times found that this law is disproportionately affecting those in a mental crisis. From 2018 to 2022, there were 151 cases of felony assault on a health care worker in King County. A little more than three-quarters of those cases involved someone experiencing symptoms of a mental illness. Oregon has tried to pass a similar law, but these attempts have failed. Christie Thompson is a staff writer for the Marshall Project. She joins us to share more.

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