What Happens at a Court Commitment Hearing? The hearing is held within 14 days of the application (unless a postponement of up to 10 days is requested by the hospital or patient for a good reason).
The hearing is conducted in an informal but orderly manner. The hearing may occur in a courthouse or at the hospital or other setting that is not likely to have a harmful effect on the mental health of the patient. Sometimes, the commitment hearing occurs at the hospital, with the judge participating from the courthouse by a video link. The person has the right to appear at the hearing, to testify, to have witnesses testify and to cross-examine the hospital’s witnesses. The hospital must prove, by recent evidence of the person’s behaviors, that the person poses a likelihood of serious harm and that inpatient hospitalization is the best available means for treatment. The hospital must include expert psychiatric testimony in its evidence.
Related Questions
- What Happens at a Court Commitment Hearing? The hearing is held within 14 days of the application (unless a postponement of up to 10 days is requested by the hospital or patient for a good reason).
- What happens if I am currently bringing an application to court seeking relief under another Act when the Family Law Act becomes the law?
- What happens during the hearing stage of the Social Security Disability application process?
