New York City officials are raising concerns over the city’s policy to involuntarily hospitalize individuals experiencing mental health crises.
In a report published March 24, the New York City Council said many people involuntarily removed from private or public spaces were not admitted to inpatient treatment afterward, “raising concerns about the effectiveness of these interventions.”
The city’s involuntary transport program has “stark” racial disparities, the councilors wrote. Black residents make up around a quarter of the city’s residents, but accounted for more than half of involuntary transports.
Mayor Eric Adams said the disparities reflect the demographics of the city’s unhoused population, Gothamist reported March 25.
“We’re going to go where the issue is, and we’re not going to play race politics. Where the services are, we’re going to go to,” Mr. Adams said.
New York state legislators are considering changes that would allow more types of professionals to perform evaluations for involuntary commitments, Gothamist reported. The proposal would also clarify that individuals can be committed to mental healthcare due to an inability to meet their own needs.
Other states have considered proposals to change their involuntary commitment standards. In Oregon, a bill backed by the National Alliance on Mental Illness would allow individuals at risk of harm within 30 days or unable to meet their basic needs to be committed to mental healthcare.
In 2023, California launched the CARE Court system, which allows civil court judges to order adults into monitored care plans. Behavioral health workers, family members and first responders can petition a court to move a person into a care plan.
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