Involuntary commitment laws for substance use authorize the involuntary arrest, detention, and/or treatment of an individual for substance use. This dataset examines important features of involuntary commitment laws specifically focused on substance use. This data captures state laws that determine the circumstances for commitment, the parties authorized to petition for a commitment, the requirement of a clinical assessment, the types of health professionals authorized to perform the assessment, the requirement of judicial review, the duration of the initial commitment, the types of treatments that may be performed without patient consent, and the provision of counsel. Although some states have laws authorizing involuntary commitment for alcohol use, these states were excluded for the purposes of the substance use-focused dataset.
This dataset is longitudinal, capturing laws in all 50 states and the District of Columbia in effect on March 1, 2018, through May 1, 2021.
This dataset was created with Health in Justice Action Lab.