What are the legal limitations of an LPS conservatorship?
A permanent L.P.S. conservatorship automatically terminates after one year (excluding the period of temporary conservatorship). If at that time the conservatee is still gravely disabled, the conservator must obtain the opinion of two physicians or psychologists, or one of each, in order to initiate further Court proceedings to reestablish the conservatorship for another year. The goal of the conservatorship is to assist the conservatee in eliminating the behaviors that render him/her gravely disabled. An L.P.S. conservatee may be placed in a locked psychiatric facility against his/her will, and may be forced to take psychotropic medications against his/her will. All proposed conservatees are interviewed by and represented in Court by an attorney. The conservatee is entitled to a Court or jury trial if he/she objects to the ongoing conservatorship.
