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Subchapter I - Definitions; Commission on Mental Health
§ 21–501. Definitions - As used in the chapter: (1) “Administrator” means a person...
§ 21–501.01. Qualified psychologists - (a) Qualified psychologists are subject to the restrictions and qualifications...
§ 21–502. Commission on Mental Health; composition; appointment and terms of members; organization; chairperson; salaries - (a) The Commission on Mental Health is continued. The Chief...
§ 21–503. Examinations and hearings; subpoenas; witnesses; place - (a) The Commission shall examine alleged mentally ill persons, inquire...
Subchapter II - Voluntary and Nonprotesting Hospitalization
§ 21–511. Voluntary hospitalization and treatment - (a) A person may apply to a public or private...
§ 21–512. Release of voluntary patients - (a) A person accepted for voluntary treatment by a hospital,...
§ 21–513. Hospitalization of nonprotesting persons - A friend or relative of a person believed to have...
§ 21–514. Release of patients hospitalized under section 21-513 - Unless proceedings for hospitalization under court order have been initiated...
Subchapter III - Emergency Hospitalization
§ 21–521. Detention of persons believed to be mentally ill; transportation and application to hospital - An accredited officer or agent of the Department of Mental...
§ 21–522. Examination and admission to hospital; notice - (a) Subject to the provisions of section 21-523, the administrator...
§ 21–523. Court order requirement for hospital detention beyond 48 hours; maximum period for observation - A person admitted to a hospital or the Department under...
§ 21–524. Determination and order of court - (a) Within a period of 24 hours after the court...
§ 21–525. Hearing by court - The court shall grant a hearing to a person whose...
§ 21–526. Extension of maximum periods of time - (a) If the maximum period of time prescribed by section...
§ 21–527. Examination and release of person; notice - (a)(1) The chief clinical officer of the Department or the...
§ 21–528. Detention of person pending judicial proceedings - Notwithstanding any other provision of this subchapter, the administrator of...
Subchapter IV - Commitment Under Court Order
§ 21–541. Petition to Commission; copy to person affected - (a) Proceedings for the judicial commitment of a person in...
§ 21–542. Hearing by Commission; presence and rights of person affected; hearing regarding liability - (a) The Commission shall promptly examine a person alleged to...
§ 21–543. Representation by counsel; compensation; recess - (a) The person alleged to be mentally ill and, because...
§ 21–544. Determinations of Commission; report to court; copy to person affected; right to jury trial - If the Commission finds, after a hearing under section 21-542...
§ 21–545. Hearing and determination by court or jury; order; witnesses; jurors - (a) Upon the receipt by the court of a report...
§ 21–545.01. Renewal of commitment status by Commission; review by court - (a) At least 60 days prior to the expiration of...
§ 21–546. Periodic examinations of committed patients; procedure for examination and detention or release; petition to court - (a) A person who has been committed for treatment pursuant...
§ 21–547. Judicial determination of petition filed under section 21-546; order; psychiatrists and qualified psychologists as witnesses - (a) In considering a petition filed under section 21-546, the...
§ 21–548. Request for revocation of outpatient status; confinement pending decision on revocation of outpatient status; hearing on outpatient revocation petition - (a) A person who has been committed under section 21-545...
§ 21–549. Preservation of other rights to release - Nothing in this chapter prohibits a person from exercising a...
§ 21–550. Surety - The court in its discretion may require a petitioner under...
§ 21–551. Nonresidents - (a) If a person ordered committed to the Department by...
Subchapter V - Right to Communication; Exercise of Other Rights
§ 21–561. Mail privileges; censored mail; return to sender; visiting hours - (a) A person hospitalized in a public or private hospital...
§ 21–562. Medical and psychiatric care and treatment; records - A person detained as an emergency involuntary patient by or...
§ 21–563. Use of restraints or seclusion; record of use - A person who is hospitalized in a public or private...
§ 21–564. Exercise of property and other rights; notice of inability; persons hospitalized prior to September 15, 1964 - (a) A person admitted or committed for treatment pursuant to...
§ 21–565. Statement of release and adjudication procedures and of other rights - Upon the admission of a person to a hospital under...
Subchapter VI - Miscellaneous Provisions
§ 21–581. Proceedings instituted by Mayor of the District of Columbia - Proceedings instituted by the Mayor of the District of Columbia...
§ 21–582. Petitions, applications, or certificates of physicians or qualified psychologists - (a) A petition, application, or certificate authorized under section 21-521,...
§ 21–583. Physicians, psychiatrists and qualified psychologists as witnesses - A physician, psychiatrist or qualified psychologist making application or conducting...
§ 21–584. Witness fees - Witnesses subpoenaed under the provisions of this chapter shall be...
§ 21–585. Confinement in jail prohibited - A person apprehended, detained, or hospitalized under any provision of...
§ 21–586. Financial responsibility for care of hospitalized persons; judicial enforcement - (a) The father, mother, husband, wife, and adult children of...
§ 21–587. Veterans’ Administration and military hospital facilities - This chapter does not require the admission of a person...
§ 21–588. Forms - All applications and certificates for the hospitalization of a person...
§ 21–589. Persons hospitalized prior to September 15, 1964 - (a) Subject to subsection (b) of this section, the provisions...
§ 21–589.01. Interim provisions for term of commitment - (a) The commitment of a person committed under section 21-545...
§ 21–590. Discharge as cured; restoration to legal status. [Repealed] - Repealed. (Sept. 14, 1965, 79 Stat. 761, Pub. L. 89-183,...
§ 21–591. Offenses and penalties - Whoever: (1) without probable cause for believing a person to...
§ 21–592. Return to hospital of an escaped mentally ill person - When a person has been ordered confined in a hospital...