New state laws lower threshold for commitment

June 30, 2008 | Virginia News

Va. no longer will use 'imminent danger' as the requirement

Most civil-commitment procedures begin with a call to police reporting that someone is acting dangerously, seems inordinately confused or can't care for himself.

In Virginia, few police departments have been trained to handle people who are mentally ill; many mentally unstable individuals are simply jailed for petty crimes such as loitering, trespassing or theft.

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