California Governor Signs Bill Making It Easier For Authorities To Compel Treatment For People With Mental Illness or Addiction

The AP (10/10, Nguyen) reports, “More Californians with untreated mental illness and addiction issues could be detained against their will and forced into treatment under a new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom” (D), “a move to help overhaul the state’s mental health system and address its growing homelessness crisis.” This “new law, which reforms the state’s conservatorship system, expands the definition of ‘gravely disabled’ to include people who are unable to provide themselves basic needs such as food and shelter due to an untreated mental illness or unhealthy drugs and alcohol use.” The law will go into “effect in 2024, but counties can postpone implementation until 2026.”

Related Links:

— “New California law aims to force people with mental illness or addiction to get help,”Trân Nguyễn, AP, October 10, 2023

Posted in In The News.