Key Points
- New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday expanded the city’s ability to deal with mentally unstable New Yorkers, expanding the guidelines for what behaviors justify involuntary commitment.
- Until November, city workers were instructed to limit the involuntary commitment program, known as Kendra’s Law, only to people who presented an imminent threat to themselves or to others.
- These criteria no longer need to be met in order to immediately hospitalize people who refuse treatment voluntarily.
“If severe mental illness is causing someone to be unsheltered and a danger to themselves, we have a moral obligation to help them get the treatment and care they need,” Adams said at a televised address.
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