Baker Act Archives – Page 3 of 8 – Citizens Commission on Human Rights, CCHR

CCHR Kicks Off 2020 Campaign with an Open House to Raise Awareness on Abuse of Mental Health Laws

by CCHR Florida | Dec 18, 2019 | Baker Act, Psychiatric Abuse, Psychiatric Disorders, Psychiatric Drugs

The Florida chapter of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), a non-profit watchdog organization that exposes and eradicates abuses in the mental health industry, will be hosting a series of Open House events starting January 4th 2020 to kick off its 2020...

CCHR Humanitarian Award Presented to Attorney Dedicated to Restoring Human Rights

by CCHR Florida | Nov 20, 2019 | Baker Act, Children and Teens, Fraud, Rights

Attended by hundreds of guests, the 4th Annual Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) Humanitarian Awards Banquet once again honored the many dedicated volunteers and supporters of CCHR for their work help restore rights and dignity to the field of mental health....

Justin Drach: Florida-based Attorney Fighting Widespread Abuses in the Psychiatric Industry

by CCHR Florida | Nov 20, 2019 | Baker Act, Children and Teens, Fraud, Psychiatric Abuse, Rights

Every year hundreds of thousands of people are taken into custody for involuntary psychiatric examination across the state of Florida. Called a Baker Act, the rampant abuse of rights under this law contributes to tens of millions of dollars in fraudulent billing. In a...

Surge in Child Baker Acts Prompts Watchdog to Call for Greater Protection of Children

by CCHR Florida | Nov 19, 2019 | Baker Act, Children and Teens, Mental Health Screening, Rights

The mental health law in Florida, commonly called a Baker Act, allows for a person of any age to be taken into custody and transported to a psychiatric facility for examination. During 2018 there were over 200,000 Baker Acts with more than 36,000 of them initiated on...

UK Legislators Asked to Increase Oversight and Criminal Accountability in U.S. Owned For-Profit Behavioral Hospitals

by CCHR Florida | Nov 5, 2019 | Acadia, Baker Act, ECT, Fraud, Psychiatric Abuse, Rights, Universal Health Services

Hundreds of UK legislators have been sent a White Paper on Fraud and Abuse in the UK’s for-profit behavioral industry, calling for tighter oversight and accountability of facilities owned by U.S companies, Acadia Healthcare and Universal Health Services (UHS). The...

CCHR, Mental Health Industry Watchdog, Rails Against Use of Commitment Laws That Detain Patients for Profit

by CCHR Florida | Oct 27, 2019 | Acadia, Baker Act, Mental Health Screening, Psychiatric Abuse, Rights, Sequel, Universal Health Services

Involuntary commitment laws are being used to detain mental health patients for profit, with the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) saying the system needs to be overhauled and stringent penalties put in place to stem the fraud and abuse. The group applauds...

Mental Health Watchdog Cites United Nations Report on Enforced (Involuntary) ECT is Recognized Torture

by CCHR Florida | Sep 30, 2019 | Baker Act, ECT, Rights

In a continuing series about the use of electroshock treatment (ECT) and this practice putting at risk a reported 100,000 Americans every year, Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR), a mental health industry watchdog, says electroshock can be given...

Another Psychiatric Drug, Another Act of Senseless Violence: the All-Too Often Finding in Mass Killings CCHR reports

by CCHR Florida | Sep 1, 2019 | Baker Act, Mass Violence, Mental Health Screening, Mental Illness, Psychiatric Abuse, Psychiatric Disorders, Psychiatric Drugs, Suicide

Montgomery County Coroner has confirmed that the alleged Dayton, Ohio shooter had the benzodiazepine, alprazolam, in his system along with cocaine, alcohol and other substances.[i] In its report, Psychiatric Drugs Create Violence and Suicide, the mental health...

Multi-Million Fines Insufficient to Curb Abuse in For-Profit Behavioral Health Industry

by CCHR Florida | Jul 31, 2019 | Baker Act, Children and Teens, Fraud, Psychiatric Abuse, Sequel, Universal Health Services

Universal Health Services (UHS), which owns a chain of for-profit psychiatric facilities in the U.S. and the United Kingdom, has agreed to pay $127 million to settle a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) civil probe into alleged fraud. The settlement is subject to...

CCHR Led Hundreds of Protestors Outside Psychiatric Convention Demanding a Ban on Electroshock Treatment

by CCHR Florida | May 21, 2019 | Baker Act, ECT, Mental Health Screening, Mental Illness, Military & Veterans, Psychiatric Abuse, Psychiatric Drugs, Rights

Members of the mental health watchdog, Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) and others concerned about the continuing use of electroshock treatment on 100,000 Americans each year—some aged five or younger [1] marched through the streets of San Francisco on...

CCHR Continues Fight to Reform Mental Health Law in Campaign to Protect Children

by CCHR Florida | Dec 2, 2018 | Baker Act, Children and Teens, Mental Health Screening, Psychiatric Abuse, Rights

The Florida chapter of the international mental health watchdog, Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), has been working for years to create positive change in how the mental health law is applied to children and teens in order to protect children and parental...

Humanitarian Award Presented to Attorney Committed to Fighting for Human Rights

by CCHR Florida | Nov 6, 2018 | Baker Act, Children and Teens, Rights

Distinguished Florida attorney, Mrs. Carmen Miller, received the CCHR Humanitarian Award during a banquet held at the historic Fort Harrison in downtown Clearwater for her work in the fight to protect individuals from fraudulent involuntary psychiatric examinations...

Hundreds Gather to Protest the Psychiatric Drugging and Shocking of Children

by CCHR Florida | Nov 1, 2018 | Baker Act, Children and Teens, ECT, Mass Violence, Mental Health Screening, Psychiatric Abuse, Psychiatric Disorders, Psychiatric Drugs, Rights

The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), a non-profit mental health watchdog dedicated to the protection of children, held a demonstration in Orlando at the Psych Congress protesting the drugging and electroshocking of children. Marching through the streets to...

Mental Health Watchdog on a Crusade to Protect Children from Illegal Baker Acts

by CCHR Florida | Aug 16, 2018 | Baker Act, Children and Teens, Psychiatric Abuse, Rights

Seen as a statewide crisis, 32,763 involuntary examinations were initiated on children during 2016-2017 according to a report recently released by the Baker Act Reporting Center. The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), a non-profit mental health watchdog...

Mental Health Watchdog Hosts Baker Act Defense Attorney Symposium

by CCHR Florida | Jul 12, 2018 | Baker Act, Children and Teens, Elderly, Rights

The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) hosted a conference on the Florida mental health law for defense attorneys for the purpose of discussing strategies to effectively serve families and to eradicate violations of the law at the Fort Harrison Hotel in...