Taken In For An Evaluation

In Michigan, if a peace officer observes an individual acting in a way that causes the officer to reasonably believe the individual is a person requiring treatment, the officer may take the individual into protective custody and transport them to a preadmission screening unit designated by a community mental health services program, for an examination or for mental health intervention services.

• §MCL 330.1427

• On arrival, the officer executes a petition for hospitalization of the individual.
• As soon as practical, the screening unit offers to contact an immediate family member to say where the individual is, and honors and records the individual's decision whether to do so.
• The unit may advise the officer, including a recommendation to release the individual from protective custody.
• Where an officer has executed a petition, the unit ensures an examination by a physician or licensed psychologist.
• If the individual does not meet the requirements for hospitalization, the unit ensures follow up counseling and diagnostic and referral services as needed.

• §MCL 330.1427

The officer is not financially responsible for the cost of care of an individual for whom the officer executed a petition. A hospital that receives a referred individual notifies the screening unit of the examination's results.

• §MCL 330.1427

Who is a person requiring treatment, how long a person may be held, and the hearing that may follow are in other sections of the Mental Health Code and are not reproduced here. Whether a protective custody met the statute is a question for a court and for a licensed Michigan attorney.

• §MCL 330.1427