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

What are Parental Rights?

by CCHR Florida | Apr 12, 2020 | Baker Act, Children and Teens, Mental Health Screening, Parental Rights, Rights

Even before the current pandemic scare, Florida parents have worried about protecting their children, particularly at school. The fact that children were being regularly taken from school without prior parental notice or agreement for involuntary psychiatric...

Six-year-old Allegedly Forcibly Drugged in Psychiatric Facility: CCHR Demanding Answers

by CCHR Florida | Apr 12, 2020 | Baker Act, Children and Teens, Parental Rights

With all the media coverage and outrage over six-year-old Nadia Falk’s forced stay and alleged drugging in a Florida psychiatric facility this February, a deeper question is raised. What is the justification for the psychiatric drugging of children, and especially the...

Baker Act Reform Continues to Leave Parents Out of the Solution

by CCHR Florida | Apr 9, 2020 | Baker Act, Children and Teens, Legislation, Parental Rights

The mental health law in Florida, commonly called the Baker Act, allows for anyone, no matter their age, to be taken into custody for an involuntary psychiatric examination. This includes children and during 2017-2018 there were a staggering 36,078 involuntary...

Mental Health Watchdog Hosts Legal Symposium Highlighting Baker Act Abuse Prevention

by CCHR Florida | Mar 11, 2020 | Baker Act, Continuing Education, Rights

The Florida chapter of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) hosted its fifth conference on the Baker Act which has been notoriously featured in the headlines for the past few months due to very young children being taken into custody. The symposium, held at...

CCHR Calls Involuntary Psychiatric Examination of Children in Florida a Human Rights Abuse

by CCHR Florida | Feb 18, 2020 | Baker Act, Children and Teens, Psychiatric Abuse, Rights, Universal Health Services

Over the past two weeks there has been a viral reporting of the tragic involuntary psychiatric examination of a 6-year-old girl in Jacksonville, Florida. Called a Baker Act, involuntary psychiatric examination is part of the Florida mental health law and it applies to...

Watchdog Calling for an Investigation into the Baker Acting of Children in Florida

by CCHR Florida | Dec 23, 2019 | Baker Act, Children and Teens, Mental Health Screening, Rights

In 2018 an astounding 36,078 involuntary psychiatric examinations were initiated on children in Florida, an almost 19% increase over the past four years. [1] Called a Baker Act, an involuntary examination of a minor allows for a child to be taken into custody and...

CCHR Warns: Baker Acting the Elderly Can be Fatal Due to ‘Transfer Trauma’

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

Transfer trauma, also known as relocation stress syndrome, has been studied since the 1960s and according to controlled studies the mortality rate for elderly that are transferred is 2-4 times higher than those that are not subjected to this type of stress. [1] All...

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...