Connecticut General Statutes
Chapter 319i - Persons with Psychiatric Disabilities
Section 17a-503. (Formerly Sec. 17-183a). - Detention by police officer prior to commitment. Issuance of emergency certificates by psychologist, certain clinical social workers, advanced practice registered nurses, professional counselors and marital...

(a) Any police officer who has reasonable cause to believe that a person has psychiatric disabilities and is dangerous to himself or herself or others or gravely disabled, and in need of immediate care and treatment, may take such person into custody and take or cause such person to be taken to a general hospital for emergency examination under this section. The officer shall execute a written request for emergency examination detailing the circumstances under which the person was taken into custody, and such request shall be left with the facility. The person shall be examined within twenty-four hours and shall not be held for more than seventy-two hours unless committed under section 17a-502.

(b) Upon application by any person to the court of probate having jurisdiction in accordance with section 17a-497, alleging that any respondent has psychiatric disabilities and is dangerous to himself or herself or others or gravely disabled, and in need of immediate care and treatment in a hospital for psychiatric disabilities, such court may issue a warrant for the apprehension and bringing before it of such respondent and examine such respondent. If the court determines that there is probable cause to believe that such person has psychiatric disabilities and is dangerous to himself or herself or others or gravely disabled, the court shall order that such respondent be taken to a general hospital for examination. The person shall be examined within twenty-four hours and shall not be held for more than seventy-two hours unless committed under section 17a-502.
(c) Any psychologist licensed under chapter 383 who has reasonable cause to believe that a person has psychiatric disabilities and is dangerous to himself or herself or others or gravely disabled, and in need of immediate care and treatment, may issue an emergency certificate in writing that authorizes and directs that such person be taken to a general hospital for purposes of a medical examination. The person shall be examined within twenty-four hours and shall not be held for more than seventy-two hours unless committed under section 17a-502.
(d) Any clinical social worker licensed under chapter 383b, advanced practice registered nurse licensed under chapter 378, professional counselor licensed under chapter 383c or marital and family therapist licensed under chapter 383 who (1) has received a minimum of eight hours of specialized training in the conduct of direct evaluations as a member of (A) any mobile crisis team, jail diversion program, crisis intervention team, advanced supervision and intervention support team, or assertive case management program operated by or under contract with the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, or (B) a community support program certified by the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, and (2) based upon the direct evaluation of a person, has reasonable cause to believe that such person has psychiatric disabilities and is dangerous to himself or herself or others or gravely disabled, and in need of immediate care and treatment, may issue an emergency certificate in writing that authorizes and directs that such person be taken to a general hospital for purposes of a medical examination. The person shall be examined not later than twenty-four hours after arriving at the hospital and shall not be held at the hospital for more than seventy-two hours unless committed under section 17a-502. The Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services shall collect and maintain statistical and demographic information pertaining to emergency certificates issued under this subsection.
(e) Each advanced practice registered nurse licensed under chapter 378 and employed by the Department of Correction to provide mental health care in a correctional facility who, based on direct evaluation of an inmate, has reasonable cause to believe that such inmate has psychiatric disabilities and is dangerous to himself or herself or others or is gravely disabled, and in need of immediate care and treatment, may issue an emergency certificate in writing that authorizes and directs that such inmate be taken to a general hospital for purposes of medical examination. The inmate shall be examined within twenty-four hours and shall not be held for more than seventy-two hours unless committed under section 17a-502. The Commissioner of Correction shall collect and maintain statistical and demographic information pertaining to emergency certificates issued under this subsection.
(P.A. 77-595, S. 7; P.A. 93-227; P.A. 95-257, S. 48, 58; P.A. 00-147; P.A. 08-21, S. 1; P.A. 10-60, S. 1; P.A. 19-117, S. 96; P.A. 22-92, S. 4.)
History: Sec. 17-183a transferred to Sec. 17a-503 in 1991; P.A. 93-227 amended Subsec. (b) by requiring examination within 24 hours rather than 48 hours and added Subsec. (c) re issuance of emergency certificate by psychologist; P.A. 95-257 replaced variants of “mental illness” and “mentally ill” with variants of “psychiatric disabilities”, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 00-147 made technical changes in Subsecs. (a) and (b) and added new Subsec. (d) re issuance of emergency certificates by certain clinical social workers and advanced practice registered nurses; P.A. 08-21 amended Subsec. (d)(1) by removing “under this subsection” and adding “crisis intervention team, advanced supervision and intervention support team” re permissible forms of specialized training in conducting direct evaluations, effective April 29, 2008; P.A. 10-60 amended Subsec. (d)(1) by designating existing provision re team or program membership as Subpara. (A) and adding Subpara. (B) re specialized training as member of community support program certified by department; P.A. 19-117 added Subsec. (e) re issuance of emergency certificate in correctional facilities by advanced practice registered nurse, effective July 1, 2019; P.A. 22-92 amended Subsec. (d) by adding reference to professional counselor and marital and family therapist and making technical changes.
Annotation to former section 17-183a:
Cited. 23 CA 447.
Annotations to present section:
Cited. 224 C. 29.
Subsec. (a):
Police officer's actions pursuant to section are sufficiently connected to a commitment proceeding to warrant absolute immunity; because a statement in police officer's incident report fell within scope of a judicial proceeding, defendant may be protected by absolute or qualified immunity for that statement, but not for officer's statement to persons at Department of Correction; it is appropriate to afford only a qualified immunity to persons acting pursuant to section if their conduct falls within the proscriptions against malicious conduct under Sec. 17a-504. 282 C. 821. Custody, as it is employed in Subsec., is merely a tool in affording the medical relief embodied in other provisions of section - not a Trojan horse to import criminal procedure jurisprudence into an unrelated statute. 327 C. 402.