HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 837        FILED ON: 1/14/2015

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1817

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Angelo M. Scaccia

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to the civil commitment of mentally ill persons to Bridgewater State Hospital.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 837        FILED ON: 1/14/2015

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1817

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 1813 OF 2013-2014.]

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________

In the One Hundred and Eighty-Ninth General Court
(2015-2016)

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An Act relative to the civil commitment of mentally ill persons to Bridgewater State Hospital.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Section 1 of chapter 123 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2010

Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding at the end thereof the following definition:-

“Place of Detention”, an institution, or any part thereof, for the detention or confinement of persons accused or convicted of crime, including, but not limited to, jails, prisons, houses of correction and correctional institutions. A place of detention shall not include Bridgewater State Hospital or the Massachusetts Alcohol and Substance Abuse Center.

SECTION 2. Section 7 (a) of said chapter 123, of the General Laws, as so appearing, is

hereby amended by adding at the end thereof the following sentence:-

The medical director of Bridgewater State Hospital may petition the Brockton District Court for the commitment to a facility designated by the department and retention of any patient said medical director determines that the failure to hospitalize would create a likelihood of serious harm by reason of mental illness.

SECTION 3. Section 7 (b) of said chapter 123, as so appearing, is hereby repealed.

SECTION 4. Section 13 of said chapter 123, as so appearing, is hereby repealed.

SECTION 5. Section 14 of said chapter 123, as so appearing, is hereby amended by

striking out the following words: -

“unless within said period he files a petition under sections seven and eight for the further commitment of the person to the Bridgewater state hospital”