L A County Mental Health Court

The Mental Health Department of the Superior Court of Los Angeles engages in the legal areas of psychiatric evaluations, treatments, investigations, hearings and trials relating to involuntary detentions. Persons are detained due to severe emotional problems for which they are unable or unwilling to seek voluntary care for themselves. The department also deals with the confinement and treatment of persons with narcotic addictions, developmental disabilities and mental retardation. Los Angeles County is the only county in California using a centralized court for cases involving mental disorders and mental health legal issues. The Mental Health Department of the Superior Court of Los Angeles also has the responsibility of assisting mentally ill patients in filing Writs of Habeas Corpus; writing reports for the court for involuntary detained psychiatric patients; helping the district attorney in evaluating and writing reports for developmentally disabled patients; and setting up court hearings and writing court reports for minor children requesting release from detention in psychiatric inpatient facilities. The department is located in Los Angeles.