(AP) — A federal appeals court has overturned a lower court ruling that found Mississippi relies too much on institutionalizing people with mental health conditions rather than providing care in their communities. They wrote that the federal government, which sued Mississippi, failed to prove that the state discriminated against people with mental health conditions in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The appeals court judges also wrote that a remedial order by U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves, which sought to make changes in Mississippi's mental health system, "vastly exceeds the scope of claimed liability.”Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch's office argued that the appeals court should overturn the district judge's ruling. Political Cartoons View All 1171 ImagesThe federal government issued a letter in 2011 saying Mississippi had done too little to provide mental health services outside mental hospitals. Reeves in 2021 approved funding for an independent monitor to collect and analyze data on how Mississippi’s mental health system is working to prevent unnecessary hospitalizations.

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Persons: JACKSON, Carlton Reeves, Lynn Fitch's, Fitch, ” Fitch, Reeves Organizations: —, U.S, Circuit, Appeals, District, U.S . Justice Department, Mississippi, Justice Locations: Miss, Mississippi, Washington