Civil Commitment Practices in Virginia

Perceptions, Attitudes, and Recommendations

A Report for the Commission on Mental Health Law Reform Commonwealth of Virginia

The Commission on Mental Health Law Reform was established by the Supreme Court of Virginia to examine the Commonwealth’s existing mental health statutes and to make recommendations for any changes required to establish an accessible service delivery system and a fair and effective process of civil commitment when needed by people experiencing mental health crises. As part of the Commission’s work, an evaluation team of faculty and staff at the University of Virginia completed a large scale qualitative study to inform the need and direction of reform. Information about the current system of civil commitment was obtained from all representative stakeholder groups. Two hundred and ten (210) individuals participated in the study.