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Laura's Law
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Laura's Law
Laura's Law is a California state law that allows for court-ordered assisted outpatient treatment. To qualify for the program, the person must have a serious mental illness plus a recent history of psychiatric hospitalizations, jailings or acts, threats or attempts of serious violent behavior towards self or others.
The law was named after Laura Wilcox, a receptionist who was killed by a man who had refused psychiatric treatment. Modeled on Kendra's Law, a similar statute enacted in New York, the bill was introduced as Assembly Bill 1421 by Assemblywoman Helen Thomson, a Democrat from Davis. The measure passed the California Legislature in 2002 and was signed into law by Governor Gray Davis. The statute can only be used in counties that choose to enact outpatient commitment programs based on the measure.
Laura Wilcox was a 19-year-old college sophomore who had been valedictorian of her high school before going on to study at Haverford College. While working at Nevada County's public mental health clinic during her winter break from college, on January 10, 2001, she and two other people were shot to death by Scott Harlan Thorpe, a 40-year-old man who resisted his family's and a social worker's attempt to have him hospitalized when he became increasingly delusional and paranoid. Thorpe was found incompetent to stand trial and was sent to Atascadero State Hospital and was later transferred to California's Napa State Hospital. After the killings, Laura's parents chose to advocate for assisted outpatient treatment of individuals considered to have mental illness.
The law is only operative in those counties in which the county board of supervisors, by resolution, authorizes its application and makes a finding that no voluntary mental health program serving adults, and no children's mental health program, was reduced in order to implement the law.
In November 2004, California voters passed Proposition 63, the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA). The California Department of Mental Health (DMH) released its draft plan requirements for county mental health administrators on February 15, 2005 and included a provision that would allow MHSA funds to be used for "involuntary services" if certain criteria were met.
In 2004, Los Angeles County implemented Laura's Law on a limited basis. Since passage of MHSA, Laura's Law provisions have been implemented in Kern County, Los Angeles County, Nevada County, Orange County, Placer County, San Diego County, San Mateo County, Yolo County, Contra Costa County, the City and County of San Francisco, Ventura County, San Luis Obispo County, Alameda County and Mendocino County
By 2010, Nevada County, where the shootings took place, fully implemented the law. In 2010 the California State Association of Counties chose Nevada County to receive its Challenge Award for implementing Laura's Law. In 2011 a National Association of Counties Achievement Award in Health was awarded to Nevada County for the Assisted Outpatient Treatment Program.
Marin County launched a two-year pilot program for Laura's Law on September 4, 2018. Santa Clara County adopted the provisions on May 25, 2021, at which time 21 out of 58 counties had opted in. Legislation in 2020 required counties to participate or explicitly opt out by July 1, 2021. Counties may choose to participate or opt-out of the program at the beginning of each fiscal year.
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Laura's Law
Laura's Law is a California state law that allows for court-ordered assisted outpatient treatment. To qualify for the program, the person must have a serious mental illness plus a recent history of psychiatric hospitalizations, jailings or acts, threats or attempts of serious violent behavior towards self or others.
The law was named after Laura Wilcox, a receptionist who was killed by a man who had refused psychiatric treatment. Modeled on Kendra's Law, a similar statute enacted in New York, the bill was introduced as Assembly Bill 1421 by Assemblywoman Helen Thomson, a Democrat from Davis. The measure passed the California Legislature in 2002 and was signed into law by Governor Gray Davis. The statute can only be used in counties that choose to enact outpatient commitment programs based on the measure.
Laura Wilcox was a 19-year-old college sophomore who had been valedictorian of her high school before going on to study at Haverford College. While working at Nevada County's public mental health clinic during her winter break from college, on January 10, 2001, she and two other people were shot to death by Scott Harlan Thorpe, a 40-year-old man who resisted his family's and a social worker's attempt to have him hospitalized when he became increasingly delusional and paranoid. Thorpe was found incompetent to stand trial and was sent to Atascadero State Hospital and was later transferred to California's Napa State Hospital. After the killings, Laura's parents chose to advocate for assisted outpatient treatment of individuals considered to have mental illness.
The law is only operative in those counties in which the county board of supervisors, by resolution, authorizes its application and makes a finding that no voluntary mental health program serving adults, and no children's mental health program, was reduced in order to implement the law.
In November 2004, California voters passed Proposition 63, the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA). The California Department of Mental Health (DMH) released its draft plan requirements for county mental health administrators on February 15, 2005 and included a provision that would allow MHSA funds to be used for "involuntary services" if certain criteria were met.
In 2004, Los Angeles County implemented Laura's Law on a limited basis. Since passage of MHSA, Laura's Law provisions have been implemented in Kern County, Los Angeles County, Nevada County, Orange County, Placer County, San Diego County, San Mateo County, Yolo County, Contra Costa County, the City and County of San Francisco, Ventura County, San Luis Obispo County, Alameda County and Mendocino County
By 2010, Nevada County, where the shootings took place, fully implemented the law. In 2010 the California State Association of Counties chose Nevada County to receive its Challenge Award for implementing Laura's Law. In 2011 a National Association of Counties Achievement Award in Health was awarded to Nevada County for the Assisted Outpatient Treatment Program.
Marin County launched a two-year pilot program for Laura's Law on September 4, 2018. Santa Clara County adopted the provisions on May 25, 2021, at which time 21 out of 58 counties had opted in. Legislation in 2020 required counties to participate or explicitly opt out by July 1, 2021. Counties may choose to participate or opt-out of the program at the beginning of each fiscal year.