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Charleston Daily Mail

March 6, 2004

Short Takes

Current [West Virginia] law requires a hearing before any treatment is provided. The proposed change would allow people to be held for 72 hours once certain due-process standards are met.

"West Virginia is the only state in the union where we convene a full-blown hearing just to get a person in crisis due to mental illness into short-term stabilization and treatment," state Supreme Court Justice Larry Starcher has said.

Lawmakers should change the procedure for involuntary commitments. People need to be able to get timely treatment for severe mental illness.

For the full editorial, visit the Daily Mail online.