14-Day Commitment; Initiation

14-Day Commitment; Initiation. (a) Whenever the director, attending physician or mental health professional determines in an evaluation that a person should be referred as a danger to self or others for involuntary civil commitment beyond the time period provided in 3 CMC § 2504(c), he shall notify the Attorney General’s office as soon as practicable. (b) Any person can notify the Attorney General’s office of their opinion that a person needs to be involuntarily committed. (c) The Attorney General’s office, upon receipt of notice that seeks or recommends the involuntary civil commitment of a person within the Commonwealth, shall determine whether to initiate a proceeding under this section for the involuntary civil commitment of the person. (d) The Attorney General’s office may initiate a proceeding for the involuntary civil commitment for 14 days of an allegedly mentally ill person only upon the filing of a written petition for commitment with the court. (e) If 14-day commitment is sought, the petition shall specifically state that it seeks immediate commitment under this section and 3 CMC § 2508, state the grounds for the relief sought, with specificity as to the alleged conduct or condition upon which the proposed commitment is sought, state the purpose of the commitment and possible consequences, and include notice of the date, time and place of hearing on the petition. (f) The petition shall be served on the person sought to be committed, his attorney, and, if practicable, upon his immediate family or guardian, sufficiently in advance of the hearing to appraise him of it and allow for preparation of a defense. Source: PL 8-36, § 9, modified.