The ACLU wrote up a pamphlet for Connecticut to advise folks facing forced hospitalization of how to avoid that ~ and stay on the streets.
There was a case here in Jackson Michigan in the summer of 2011 where a guy killed an elderly neighbor and cut her head off.
It turned out that his family had tried to have him locked up for years due to his mental health issues but the courts wouldn’t or couldn’t do it. The family finally washed their hands of him with a final warning to the courts that someone was going to die.
Today, as a result of the self-advocacy movement and a series of constitutional test cases, people with mental disabilities have many more rights than they used to, including:
-the right not to be confined unless they constitute a danger to themselves or others;
-the right to a court hearing to contest an involuntary commitment;
-the right to a lawyer during commitment hearings;
-the right to refuse medication;
-the right to “minimally adequate” treatment and training;
-the right to safe and secure conditions, including food, shelter, clothing and medical care.
Any State Licensed Physician could:
Involuntarily Hospitalize a Patient for 3 Days
if they were Homicidal, Suicidal, or Gravely Disabled
After that a Tiered Judicial process ensued