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AG backs custody of mentally ill
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Posted on Oct 26 2006
The Attorney General’s Office has expressed support for a bill that would allow the government to lock up mentally ill people to prevent them from hurting themselves or others.
According to Attorney General Matthew T. Gregory, the existing law gives authorities no power to remove from the streets persons who are known to be psychotic and in need of medication, until they show overt acts or threats.
“The law is too narrow it actually prevents persons from receiving badly needed assistance until it is, perhaps, too late,” Gregory said.
He noted that most people with mental illness are either unable or unwilling to keep track of their treatment. Without the medications, their illnesses get out of control. The Commonwealth Health Center puts in effort to bring medications to them, but nothing can be done if they cannot be found or refuse the medication.
“This creates a revolving door situation where patients enter CHC under involuntary commitment, receive treatment until they are capable of being released, go back into community, fall off their medications, commit some acts which make them eligible for commitment, are then brought back to CHC, and the process begins again,” Gregory said.
House Bill 15-121, or the assisted outpatient treatment bill, would remove current impediments to the care of people with mental illness by allowing the courts to order preventive treatment before some drastic act occurs, he said.
The bill also proposes to allow mental health care providers to track these individuals and, if they refuse medication, bring them to the hospital for at least 72 hours in order to get them back on their treatment and medication regimen. If they cannot be found, the bill would authorize the police to find them and bring them to CHC.
In addition, the bill would allow social workers at CHC to help these individuals in getting jobs, education, and housing, among other things, and try to make them as self-sufficient as possible.
“This should stop the revolving door, be beneficial to the health of the mentally ill, and ensure the public safety,” Gregory said.
