Workshop

Date: Thursday, 9/24

Time: 2:30-3:45pm

Is your state trying to make it easier to commit people? Oregon’s new civil commitment law, making it easier to force people into involuntary hospitalization, went into effect on January 1, 2026. These laws apply to individuals who are not charged with a crime. The major change is that there is no longer an imminency requirement to prove someone is a danger to themselves or a danger to others. The legislative bill allowing this change was brought by a family advocacy organization who wanted families to be able to get their mentally ill loved one “treatment” before they got involved with the criminal system. The issue that this advocacy group, as well as the legislature, ignored, is that changing a law doesn’t automatically mean more services are available. While it is now legally easier to commit, there are no more treatment beds than there were before the law went into effect. With the relaxed standards, we were concerned that the number of people we see cycle through commitment, release, commitment, release, over and over would skyrocket. 

Learn about the changes to Oregon’s civil commitment laws, the impact they have had on commitments in their first year, and learn how the lessons of Oregon can be applied to your state.