The Dramatic Decline of Civil Commitment in Oregon, 1972 to 2020

Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law

article

Thomas E. Hansen¹  Joseph D. Bloom²  Amela Blekic¹ 

[1] Oregon Health & Sciences University;University of Arizona College of Medicine

关键词: civil commitment;    competency to stand trial;    forensic hospital psychiatry;    legal regulation of psychiatry;   

DOI  :  10.29158/JAAPL.220003-21

学科分类：儿科学

来源: American Academy of Psychiatry The Law

【 摘 要 】

The rate of civil commitment in Oregon fell from 53.2/100,000 in 1972 to 9.2/100,000 in 2020. The paper discusses this decline in civil commitment as related to statutory and case law changes and complex interactions including bed availability at Oregon State Hospital (OSH). The latter was in turn influenced by the significant increase in the last decade of hospitalization at OSH of competence to stand trial evaluation and restoration (CST) patients. Multnomah County, which contains the city of Portland, was responsible for the largest number of investigations and commitments and led the state in using a 14-day diversion alternative to commitment. This analysis may serve as a model for other states to engage in similar longitudinal research to shed light on the functioning of their involuntary commitment statutes.

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