Opinion ID: 2679891
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: the emergency admission laws

Text: [¶7] The terms of the emergency admission laws, 4 also called the “blue paper” process or, albeit imprecisely, “involuntary commitment” laws, in effect in 3 Portions of the MHRA have been amended since the operative events in this case occurred, and we therefore cite the 2007 volume of the statutes. 4 Although the procedures set forth for involuntarily hospitalizing a person on an emergency basis for mental health purposes have become known as “involuntary commitment,” and we use that phrase here at 4 2007, when the events in this case occurred, are important to an understanding of the issues before us. A law enforcement officer’s authority to take an individual into protective custody to be transported for a mental health examination was established by 34-B M.R.S. § 3862 (2007),5 which stated in pertinent part: 1. Law enforcement officer’s power. If a law enforcement officer has reasonable grounds to believe, based upon probable cause, that a person may be mentally ill and that due to that condition the person presents a threat of imminent and substantial physical harm to that person or to other persons, . . . the law enforcement officer: A. May take the person into protective custody; and B. If the law enforcement officer does take the person into protective custody, shall deliver the person immediately for examination as provided in section 3863 . . . . The examination may be performed by a licensed physician, a licensed clinical psychologist, a physician’s assistant, a nurse practitioner or a certified psychiatric clinical nurse specialist. When, in formulating probable cause, the law enforcement officer relies upon information provided by a 3rd-party informant, the officer shall confirm that the informant has reason to believe, based upon the informant’s recent personal observations of or conversations with a person, that the person may be mentally ill and that due to that condition the person presents a threat of imminent and substantial physical harm to that person or to other persons. times, admission to a psychiatric hospital pursuant to the emergency procedures at issue here is distinct from commitment to a psychiatric hospital, as clarified by the Legislature by P.L. 2011, ch. 541, § 2 (effective Aug. 30, 2012) (codified at 34-B M.R.S. § 3863(9) (2013)). 5 After the September 2007 events at issue in this appeal, 34-B M.R.S. § 3862 was amended by P.L. 2009, ch. 651, §§ 11, 12 (emergency legislation effective April 14, 2010). 5 2. Certificate not executed. If a certificate relating to the person’s likelihood of serious harm is not executed by the examiner under section 3863, . . . the officer shall: A. Release the person from protective custody and, with the person’s permission, return the person forthwith to the person’s place of residence, if within the territorial jurisdiction of the officer; B. Release the person from protective custody and, with the person’s permission, return the person forthwith to the place where the person was taken into protective custody; or C. If the person is also under arrest for a violation of law, retain the person in custody until the person is released in accordance with the law. 3. Certificate executed. If the certificate is executed by the examiner under section 3863, the officer shall undertake forthwith to secure the endorsement of a judicial officer under section 3863 and may detain the person for a reasonable period of time, not to exceed 18 hours, pending that endorsement. [¶8] The emergency admission law applicable in 2007 regarding the mental examinations to be conducted after a person was taken into custody, 34-B M.R.S. § 3863 (2007),6 stated, in pertinent part: A person may be admitted to a psychiatric hospital on an emergency basis according to the following procedures. 1. Application. Any health officer, law enforcement officer or other person may make a written application to admit a person to a psychiatric hospital, subject to the prohibitions and penalties of section 3805, stating: 6 Title 34-B M.R.S. § 3863 was amended by P.L. 2009, ch. 276, § 1 (effective Sept. 12, 2009); P.L. 2009, ch. 451, § 10 (effective Sept. 12, 2009); P.L. 2009, ch. 651, §§ 13-19 (emergency legislation effective April 14, 2010); and P.L. 2011, ch. 541, § 2 (effective Aug. 30, 2012). 6 A. The person’s belief that the person is mentally ill and, because of the person’s illness, poses a likelihood of serious harm; and B. The grounds for this belief. 2. Certifying examination. The written application must be accompanied by a dated certificate, signed by a licensed physician, physician’s assistant, certified psychiatric clinical nurse specialist, nurse practitioner or [psychologist, indicating that] A. The physician, physician’s assistant, certified psychiatric clinical nurse specialist, nurse practitioner or psychologist has examined the person on the date of the certificate; and B. The physician, physician’s assistant, certified psychiatric clinical nurse specialist, nurse practitioner or psychologist is of the opinion that the person is mentally ill and, because of that illness, poses a likelihood of serious harm. The written certificate must include a description of the grounds for that opinion. 2-A. Custody Agreement. A . . . law enforcement agency may meet with representatives of those public and private health practitioners and health care facilities that are willing and qualified to perform the certifying examination required by this section in order to attempt to work out a procedure for the custody of the person who is to be examined while that person is waiting for that examination. Any agreement must be written and signed by and filed with all participating parties. In the event of failure to work out an agreement that is satisfactory to all participating parties, the procedures of section 3862 and [section 3863] continue to apply. As part of an agreement the law enforcement officer requesting certification may transfer protective custody of the person for whom the certification is requested to . . . a health officer if that officer agrees . . . . 3. Judicial review. The application and accompanying certificate must be reviewed by a [specified judicial officer] . . . . 7 A. If the judge or justice finds the application and accompanying certificate to be regular and in accordance with the law, the judge or justice shall endorse them and promptly send them to the admitting psychiatric hospital. . . . . B. A person may not be held against the person’s will in a hospital under this section, except that a person for whom an examiner has executed the certificate under subsection 2 may be detained in a hospital for a reasonable period of time, not to exceed 24 hours, pending endorsement by a judge or justice, if: .... (2) For a person sought to be involuntarily admitted under this section, the person or persons seeking the involuntary admission undertake to secure the endorsement immediately upon execution of the certificate by the examiner. .... [¶9] Thus, pursuant to then-existing law, a law enforcement officer could take an individual into protective custody if there was probable cause to believe that the person was then mentally ill and, as a result, posed a threat of imminent and substantial harm to herself or others, but if the officer relied on information from a third party to establish probable cause, the officer was required to confirm that the third party’s assessment was based on “recent personal observations or conversations with” the person. The officer was then required to immediately deliver the person for a psychological examination pursuant to section 3863. [¶10] The person could be involuntarily admitted to a psychiatric hospital on an emergency basis only upon application, which could be made by any person, 8 and after an examination and issuance of a certificate that the person, because of his or her mental illness, posed a likelihood of serious harm. The only persons authorized by law to issue such a certificate, after examination of the individual, were a physician, physician’s assistant, certified psychiatric clinical nurse specialist, nurse practitioner, or psychologist. Unless a certificate was executed, a hospital had no authority to detain an individual. If no certificate was executed, the person in law enforcement custody was to be released from protective custody and returned home or to another place designated in section 3862(2). [¶11] If a certificate was executed, the person could be held in the protective custody of law enforcement for no more than eighteen hours or, if protective custody was transferred to a hospital, held involuntarily in a hospital for no more than twenty-four hours, pending judicial endorsement of the application and certificate. The statute provided no authority for administrators of a hospital or a social service agency to overrule the opinion of the professional examiner and order continued detention of an individual despite the professional examiner’s opinion, following an appropriate examination, that emergency hospitalization was unnecessary. [¶12] The third relevant law, 34-B M.R.S. § 3805 (2013), states that a person who willfully causes an unwarranted hospitalization of any person or 9 willfully causes the denial of any rights accorded to any person pursuant to the emergency admission and hospitalization laws is guilty of a Class C felony.7