Frequently Asked Questions on Laura's Law

Frequently asked questions about Laura's Law

Frequently asked questions about Laura's Law

  • What is Laura's Law? "Laura's Law" is the name used for assisted outpatient treatment (AOT), which is sustained and intensive court-ordered treatment in the community for individuals with severe untreated mental illness and a history of violence or repeated hospitalization. Typically, AOT is only used until a person is well enough to maintain his or her own treatment regimen. In other states, it has been used as an alternative to court-ordered hospitalization and as a "bridge" to maintain psychiatric stability after discharge from hospitalization.
  • Is Laura's Law for all people with mental illness? Absolutely not! Assisted outpatient treatment (AOT) is for those who are in a crisis or recovering from a crisis caused by mental illness and for whom voluntary services are not working. California’s program is based on that of Kendra’s Law, a statewide program created in New York in 1999 that has proven extraordinarily successful. In New York State, Kendra’s Law is used to help approximately one thousand of the estimated 230,000 people living in the state with untreated schizophrenia or severe bipolar disorder in any given year. Recipients of AOT in New York represent 0.0001 percent of the population.
  • Does assisted outpatient treatment work? Yes, spectacularly so. Rigorous government and academic studies of AOT show that it drastically reduces rehospitalizations, length of hospital stays, arrests, incarceration, suicide attempts, victimization and violent behavior. (See our Assisted Outpatient Treatment - Backgrounder for details.)
  • Where is Laura's Law available in California? Every one of California's 58 counties is eligible to implement Laura's Law. As of 2014, Nevada, Los Angeles, Placer, San Francisco and Orange Counties have authorized implementation of the program, and many others are considering authorization.
  • What are the eligibility criteria for being treated under Laura's Law? Participants are required to be 18 years old, suffering from a mental illness and unlikely to survive safely in the community without supervision, based on a clinical evaluation. They must also have a history of repeated hospitalization or incarceration related to their mental illness or haave a history of violence to self or others. Several other criteria also apply. All of them may be found under California in "Assisted Psychiatric Treatment: Inpatient and Outpatient Standards by State."
  • Can Laura's Law be used to forcibly medicate people? Laura’s Law is not about the physical act of forcibly medicating. Forced medication can - and should - only happen in a licensed hospital. It is about prioritizing highest-need patients and the monitoring and case management that accompanies those patients under the law so that they have the support to stay on their treatment plan, which may include medication.
  • What is the California Treatment Advocacy Coalition (CTAC)? CTAC was created in 1999 by a few dozen advocates determined to see California laws promote - rather than forbid - treatment of severe mental illness. With the assistance of the Treatment Advocacy Center and the guidance of coordinators Carla Jacobs - a member of the Treatment Advocacy Center board of directors - Randall Hagar and Chuck Sosebee, the coalition grew to include hundreds of others dedicated to reforming the state's mental illness treatment laws.