Jul 17 2014
The statutes, known as Laura's Law in California, have become popular in various states after the recent wave of mass shootings.
Los Angeles Times: L.A. County To Expand Laura's Law Mental-Illness Treatment Program
Los Angeles County leaders voted Tuesday to fully implement Laura's Law, a state statute that gives counties the option to pursue court-ordered outpatient treatment for people with serious mental illness. Praised by advocates who say it offers a new tool to family members of adults with severe untreated mental illness, the law was recently adopted by San Francisco and Orange counties (Sewell, 7/15).
The Wall Street Journal: Los Angeles County Approves Involuntary Mental-Health Care
The county's Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to adopt a law allowing court-ordered involuntary mental health treatment for people with serious mental illness and a history of evading treatment. Such laws, though divisive, have become more popular nationwide in the aftermath of recent mass shootings, when some have argued that mandated mental health treatment might have prevented them (Phillips, 7/15).
In related news -
Los Angeles Times: D.A. Jackie Lacey Calls Jailing Of Mentally Ill A 'Moral Question'
Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey told county supervisors Tuesday that gaps in services and communication breakdowns between agencies have resulted in more mentally ill people being sent to jail. Lacey, who is heading up a group of leaders from different agencies focused on expanding diversion programs, called the issue a "moral question" (Sewell, 7/15).
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 This article was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.
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New study sheds light on the relationship between race and mental health stigma in college students