House Bill 558

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTIONS 41-30-19, 41-30-27 AND 41-32-5, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REQUIRE A THIRTY-DAY MINIMUM FOR DRUG AND ALCOHOL TREATMENT; TO BRING FORWARD SECTION 41-31-5, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, WHICH REGULATES INVOLUNTARY COMMITMENT OF ALCOHOLICS, FOR PURPOSES OF AMENDMENT; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. Section 41-30-19, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

41-30-19. The judge of any court, before whom appears an individual charged with a second or subsequent offense of public intoxication, may, upon a plea of guilty or conviction suspend execution of sentence and require the offender to participate in and complete a prescribed course of alcohol abuse treatment and rehabilitation. The judge shall consult with the division to determine the course of treatment best suited to the needs of the convicted person. The convicted person while participating in the course of treatment shall not be considered committed, civilly or criminally, as otherwise provided by law for commitment to any institution; provided that no judge may require in-patient care for a period of not less than thirty (30) days and not in excess of ninety (90) days. Upon completion of the course of treatment prescribed by the judge, the sentence shall not be executed. The convicted person, if financially able, shall be responsible for defraying any cost of the prescribed course of treatment.

SECTION 2. Section 41-30-27, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

41-30-27. (1) (a) A person may be admitted to an approved public or private treatment facility for emergency care and treatment upon a decree of the chancery court accepting an application for admission thereto accompanied by the certificate of two (2) licensed physicians. The application shall be to the chancery court of the county of such person's residence and may be made by any one (1) of the following: Either certifying physician, the patient's spouse or guardian, any relative of the patient, or any other person responsible for health, safety or welfare of all or part of the citizens within said chancery court's territorial jurisdiction. The application shall state facts to support the need for immediate commitment, including factual allegations showing that the person to be committed has threatened, attempted or actually inflicted physical harm upon himself or another. The physicians' certificates shall state that they examined the person within two (2) days of the certificate date and shall set out the facts to support the physicians' conclusion that the person is an alcoholic or drug addict who has lost the power of self-control with respect to the use of alcoholic beverages or habit-forming drugs and that unless immediately committed he is likely to inflict physical harm upon himself or others. A hearing on such applications shall be heard by the chancery court in term time or in vacation, and the hearing shall be held in the presence of the person sought to be admitted unless he fail or refuse to attend. Notice of the hearing shall be given to the person sought to be admitted, as soon as practicable after the examination by the certifying physicians, and the person sought to be admitted shall have an opportunity to be represented by counsel, and shall be entitled to have compulsory process for the attendance of witnesses.

(b) For the purpose of this section, the term "drug addict" shall have the meaning ascribed to it by Section 41-31-1(d).

(2) The chancery judge may refuse an application if in his opinion the application and certificate fail to sustain the grounds for commitment. Upon acceptance of the application after hearing thereon and decree sustaining the application by the judge, the person shall be transported to the facility by a peace officer, health officer, the applicant for commitment, the patient's spouse or the patient's guardian. The person shall be retained at the facility that admitted him, or be transferred to any other appropriate treatment resource, until discharged pursuant to subsection (3).

(3) The attending physician shall discharge any person committed not less than thirty (30) days after the date the person was committed pursuant to this section when he determines that the grounds for commitment no longer exist, but no person committed pursuant to this section shall be retained in any facility for more than five (5) days.

(4) The application filed pursuant to subsection (1) of this section shall also contain an affidavit for involuntary commitment pursuant to Title 41, Chapter 31, Mississippi Code of 1972. If the application for emergency involuntary commitment is accepted under subsection (2) of this section, the chancery judge shall order a hearing on the affidavit for commitment pursuant to Title 41, Chapter 31, Mississippi Code of 1972, to be held on the fifth day of such involuntary emergency commitment, the provisions of Section 41-31-5 regarding the time of hearing to the contrary notwithstanding; provided, however, that at the time of such involuntary commitment the alleged alcoholic or drug addict shall be served with a citation to appear at said hearing and shall have an opportunity to be represented by counsel.

SECTION 3. Section 41-32-5, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

41-32-5. (1) The chancellor shall schedule with the affiant a time on a day certain for the hearing thereof, not less than five (5) days nor more than twenty (20) days from the filing of the affidavit. The case shall be triable upon three (3) days' service of process and service of notice of the time for the hearing. At the time fixed, the chancellor shall hear the evidence in the presence of the defendant if he will appear, and without the presence of the defendant if he will not appear, and all persons interested shall have the right to appear and present evidence touching upon the truth and correctness of the allegations of the affidavit.

(2) The clerk must ascertain whether the respondent is represented by an attorney, and if it is determined that the respondent does not have an attorney, the clerk immediately must notify the chancellor of that fact. If the chancellor determines that the respondent for any reason does not have the services of an attorney, the chancellor must appoint an attorney for the respondent before a hearing on the affidavit.

(3) If the defendant admits the truth and correctness of the allegations of the affidavit, or if the chancellor shall find from the evidence that the defendant is an alcoholic or drug addict, or both, and is in need of detention, care and treatment in a private treatment facility, and that the other material allegations of the affidavit are true, then the chancellor shall enter a judgment so finding, and shall order that such person be committed to and confined in a chemical dependency unit, alcohol and drug unit, outpatient house or any other private treatment facility, within or outside the state, for the treatment of chemically dependent persons, as the chancellor, in his discretion, deems to be in the best interest of the defendant. Any such order for the commitment of the defendant shall require that the defendant be committed for such period of time as the chancellor shall determine, in his discretion but not less than thirty (30) days, as is necessary to provide for the care and treatment of the defendant or for such other period of time as may be established by authorized personnel at the designated facility or facilities; however, in no event shall such period of confinement extend beyond a period of eight (8) months. The chancellor may require treatment at a combination of facilities or may designate commitment at an inpatient facility for not more than two (2) months and an outpatient facility for not more than six (6) months, subject to institutional earlier release.

SECTION 4. Section 41-31-5, Mississippi Code of 1972, is brought forward as follows:

41-31-5. (1) Whenever an affidavit is filed, the chancellor of said court shall, by order, fix a time upon a day certain for the hearing thereof, either in termtime or in vacation, which hearing shall be fixed not less than five (5) days nor more than twenty (20) days from the filing of the affidavit. The person alleged to be an alcoholic or drug addict shall be served with a citation to appear at said hearing not less than three (3) days prior to the day fixed for said hearing, and there shall be served with such citation a true and correct copy of the affidavit.

(2) The clerk must ascertain whether the respondent is represented by an attorney, and if it is determined that the respondent does not have an attorney, the clerk immediately must notify the chancellor of that fact. If the chancellor determines that the respondent for any reason does not have the services of an attorney, the chancellor shall appoint an attorney for the respondent before a hearing on the affidavit.

(3) At the time fixed, the chancellor shall hear evidence on the affidavit, with or without the presence of the alleged alcoholic or drug addict, and all persons interested shall have the right to appear and present evidence touching upon the truth and correctness of the allegations of the affidavit. The said chancellor, in his discretion, may require that the alleged alcoholic or drug addict be examined by the county health officer or by such other competent physician or physicians as the chancellor may select, and may consider the results of such examination in reaching a decision in said matter.

(4) If the alleged alcoholic or drug addict shall admit the truth and correctness of the allegations of the affidavit, or if the chancellor should find from the evidence that such person is an alcoholic or drug addict, and is in need of detention, care and treatment in an institution, and that the other material allegations of said petition are true, then he shall enter an order so finding, and shall order that such person be remanded and committed to and confined in the proper state institution under this chapter or a private treatment facility under the provisions of Title 41, Chapter 32, Mississippi Code of 1972, or, in the case of an alcoholic to an approved public or private treatment facility pursuant to the provisions of Title 41, Chapter 30, Mississippi Code of 1972, for care and treatment for a period of not less than thirty (30) days nor more than ninety (90) days as the necessity of the case may, in his discretion, require. However, when such person shall be so committed, the medical director of the said institution shall be vested with full discretion as to the treatment and discharge of such person, and may discharge and release such person at any time when the condition of such person shall so justify.

(5) (a) If the chancellor determines under this section that the alleged alcoholic or drug addict is in need of care and treatment but also affirmatively finds that the alleged alcoholic or drug addict would benefit from the less restrictive option of an outpatient treatment program, the chancellor, in his discretion and upon agreement of both the affiant and the person in need of treatment, may order the alleged alcoholic or drug addict into an outpatient treatment program.

(b) If the order directs outpatient treatment, the outpatient treatment provider may prescribe or administer to the respondent treatment consistent with accepted alcohol and drug abuse treatment standards. If the respondent fails or clearly refuses to comply with outpatient treatment, the director of the treatment program, his designee or an interested person must make all reasonable efforts to solicit the respondent's compliance. These efforts must be documented and, if the respondent fails or clearly refuses to comply with outpatient treatment after the efforts are made, the efforts must be documented with the court by affidavit. Upon the filing of the affidavit, the sheriff of the proper county may take the respondent into custody. The chancellor thereafter may order the respondent to inpatient treatment as soon as a treatment facility is available.

(c) The respondent may request a hearing within ten (10) days of commitment to inpatient treatment by filing a written request with the chancery clerk of the committing court, or the respondent may request such a hearing in writing to any member of the professional staff of the treatment facility, which must be forwarded to the director and promptly filed with the chancery clerk of the committing court. The respondent must be advised of the right to request such a hearing and of the right to consult a lawyer.

SECTION 5. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2022.