S.W. v. Commonwealth

Summary

The court affirmed the single justice's decision vacating an order that detained S.W. without bail while she awaited a hospital bed for a competency evaluation. It held that neither the governing statutes nor inherent judicial authority permits detention solely because hospital resources are unavailable. The court also upheld the commitment order because the record supported hospitalization as the least restrictive means of evaluating competency and the statute permits a further evaluation after an initial examination.