Crystal Fox

So Michigan has rewritten the mental health code as it relates to when you can hospitalize someone.

It's no longer a danger to solve for others.

You won't find that in our code.

What you'll find is risk of harm.

That's the question.

So, a recent case in Michigan, this individual had a long history of mental illness.

He'd be treated, hospitalized, he'd get out, wouldn't take his medicine.

He comes into court and the doctor who is testifying on behalf of the county says, well, he is currently not at risk of harm.

However,

Within three to six months, we can expect he'll stop taking his medicine again, and then he'll be at risk of harm due to possible suicide, drug abuse, increased risk of dementia, and other things.

Court of Appeals said that works.

So by intervening earlier, that helps.

But then the second part is when the court enters an order for treatment, if you've been hospitalized for mental illness, you've got to, even temporarily, that's pretty serious.

Does anybody really believe you can be discharged the next day with nothing?

I don't think so.

So what we do in Michigan, the standard order is if you come to court on a petition and you're in the hospital, we will enter a combined treatment order of 180 days of assisted outpatient treatment

and up to 60 days of hospitalization to be used during that period of time.

And just kind of evidence of why this works, I saw a study recently regarding those persons who are found not guilty of a reason of insanity, and they measured what the likelihood of them being arrested again over the next five years.

For those people who were treated at the forensic center and discharged without community treatment, they were arrested 44% of the time.

For those who were discharged under the supervision of a treatment plan, they were arrested 8%.