Section 5150 of the California Welfare and Institutions Code states that “a person, as a result of a mental health disorder, [who] is a danger to others, or to himself or herself, or gravely disabled” is allowed to be taken “into custody for a period of up to 72 hours for assessment, evaluation, and crisis intervention, or placement for evaluation and treatment in a facility designated by the county for evaluation and treatment and approved by the State Department of Health Care Services.” Although all states have some form of this law, “5150” has slipped into the cultural vernacular as a
...more
