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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 5 page paper which considers an ethical dilemma relating to the Baker Act and the case of a child committed for evaluation. Bibliography lists 3 sources.
Page Count:
5 pages (~225 words per page)
File: JL5_JLbakeract.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
The Baker Act, which dates from 1971, allows physicians or courts to impose involuntary commitment on those with mental illness, if it shown that they are likely to be harmful
to themselves or to others. The initial period of committal is comparatively short - 72 hours - and may result in a range of outcomes depending on the result of
the assessment. The individual may remain in involuntary placement, be transferred to a voluntary treatment program, be released into community care, etc.
However, as the Treatment Advocacy Center (2004) notes, the Baker Act in its original form was found to be unsatisfactory in some regards. The Center notes that Florida did not
have "court-ordered outpatient treatment for people with untreated severe mental illnesses who did not voluntarily accept treatment" (TAC, 2004) since the only option was inpatient commitment. The TAC points out
that this led to inefficient utilization of resources, stating that "in 2002, one person was Baker-Acted 41 times, at a cost of approximately $81,000" (TAC, 2004): in addition, it is
evident from some of the cases described by the Center that outpatient treatment, to ensure compliance with regard to medication, would have been far more valuable to both patients and
the community than involuntary in-patient committal. However, the overall aim of legislation such as the Baker Act remains the same: to
protect both individuals and the community, in cases where the individual is likely to be dangerous to themselves and/or others, because of their mental condition. As the Center points out,
a common feature of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder is a "lack of awareness of illness" (TAC, 2004): such individuals frequently refuse to take their medication, but after they have been
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