An Act to strengthen emergency restraint for persons suffering dangerous or violent mental illness

This bill amends Massachusetts law to allow for the emergency hospitalization of individuals who are violent, homicidal, or pose a serious risk of physical harm to others. It permits a person in reasonable fear of such violence to request hospitalization for up to 72 hours and requires that the individual be released after three days, followed by seven days of supervised monitoring by a social worker or mental health professional. The legislation also mandates that hospitals provide medical records to supervising social workers and grants these workers the authority to petition for the individual's expedited readmission if they become dangerous or non-compliant again.