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Mental Hygiene Legal Services is responsible for protecting and advocating for the rights of people who reside, or alleged to be in need of care and treatment, in facilities licensed to provide services for mental illness in New York State.
To refer an individual who has been involuntarily civilly confined after the term of his or her incarceration, use the MHLS website (http://www.nycourts.gov/ad3/mhls/) to determine the appropriate regional legal service provider based on the facility where the indivdiual is currently confined.
Resources
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State of N.Y. ex rel. Harkavy v Consilvio - 2nd Circuit Decision ruling holding that the state cannot use mental hygiene laws to confine individuals in psychiatric hospitals after prison terms end