Bill > S1052

This bill modifies existing laws regarding the civil commitment of individuals for alcoholism or substance abuse, particularly concerning their placement in correctional facilities. Specifically, it removes a provision that mandated a minimum ten-day stay for individuals committed for rehabilitative purposes to the Massachusetts correctional institutions at Bridgewater (for males) or Framingham (for females). Instead, the bill establishes stricter criteria for committing individuals to these correctional facilities for rehabilitative purposes, requiring that at least one of the following conditions be met: a history of violence towards patients or staff within the last 12 months, a history of elopement from a treatment facility within the last 12 months, or an imminent risk of severe, life-threatening withdrawal symptoms or a co-occurring medical or mental health condition that prevents safe detoxification in a less intensive setting. The bill also mandates that individuals committed to these correctional facilities for such purposes must be housed and treated separately from convicted criminals and encourages them to consent to further treatment upon release, allowing them to voluntarily remain in the facility for this purpose. Furthermore, it requires the Department of Mental Health, in collaboration with the Department of Public Health, to develop a standardized evaluation tool for these assessments and to study and report on the budgetary needs for secure treatment beds to meet these new requirements.