Moccasin Bend Psychiatric Hospital is balking at having police officers present when criminal defendants are given mental evaluations, saying it is a violation of the defendant's HIPPA privacy rights.
But justice officials are also balking at allowing the inmates - some of whom are charged with extremely serious crimes - out of their sight.
General Sessions Court Judge Mike Carter said Tuesday an impasse had been reached in the case in which Jerry Roberson was charged with hitting his mother in the head with a hammer.
A mental evaluation was ordered earlier, and the preliminary hearing was delayed until it could be obtained.
But Judge Carter on Tuesday went ahead with the Roberson hearing without the evaluation. He said that could be worked out later through Criminal Court.
Court officials said the inmates had been taken to Moccasin Bend for the convenience of hospital personnel.
They said one solution would be to have the evaluations done at the jail instead.