One year ago, Kevin Heisinger, a 24-year-old University of Michigan graduate student, was killed in a Kalamazoo bus station by a mentally ill man who had not taken his medication.

The man, Brian Williams of Ypsilanti, had a long, troubled mental health history and had by that time tangled with police several times.

Deficiencies in Michigan's mental health laws left Williams untreated -- and dangerous, say the sponsors of new bipartisan legislation they plan to introduce soon in the Michigan Legislature.

If passed, Kevin's Law will help prevent such tragedies, state Rep. Virg Bernero, D-Lansing, said Thursday. Bernero and Rep. Tom George, R-Portage, are cosponsors of the legislation.

Bernero said Michigan's mental health system has been "cut to the bone" and leaves vulnerable those suffering serious mental illnesses and their potential victims.

The details of Kevin's Law are to be announced today at news conferences in Kalamazoo, Southfield and Lansing.

The major goal of Kevin's Law is to ensure intervention before violence occurs, Bernero said.

Among other things, it would allow intervention and treatment of people incapable of making decisions about their own treatment. It would also allow Michigan courts to order intensive outpatient mental health care for those most in need or who pose the greatest risk, and provide supervised treatment until the person is capable of maintaining his or her own care.

Current Michigan law allows involuntary psychiatric services to be ordered only when a person is proven legally to be a threat to himself or others. That leaves people such as Williams to fall too easily through the cracks, Bernero said.

"In Michigan today, you have to be homicidal or suicidal -- at this instant ...you have to have a ...weapon in your hand, practically. We've got to lower the bar to get some preventive medicine to these folks who need and deserve earlier intervention," he said.

Pat Webdale, whose daughter, Kendra, was killed when a mentally ill man pushed her in front of a subway train in New York City, will be at the news conference. Kendra's death inspired New York's Kendra's Law, which the Michigan legislation is patterned after.

Police officers from Michigan also will be present, Bernero said.

Bernero said the police presence reflects concerns by officers who too often must handle people like Williams because the mental health system has not.

general resources | legal resources | medical resources | briefing papers | state activity   
hospital closures | preventable tragedies | press room | search | home