Laura's Law

Background

2021 Update: SB 507

Expanded the criteria for when Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) services may be court-ordered to include the requirement that AOT is needed to prevent a relapse or deterioration that would be likely to result in grave disability or serious harm to the person or to others, without also requiring that a person's condition be substantially deteriorating.
Requires the examining mental health professional to determine if the subject of the AOT petition has the capacity to give informed consent regarding psychotropic medication in their affidavit to the court;
Allows the subject of the petition or the examining mental health professional to appear before the court for testimony by videoconferencing.
Authorizes the filing of a petition to obtain AOT under the existing petition procedures, for an “eligible conservatee", as defined in SB 507.

2020 Update: New CA legislation, AB 1976 requires counties to participate in Laura's Law unless they opt out: Behavioral Health Information Notice (re: implementation), CA Department of Health Care Services (DHCS)

Signed into law in 2002, Laura’s Law was adopted by the state Legislature after a man with mental illness fatally shot Laura Wilcox, a 19-year-old volunteer at a Nevada County mental health clinic. The legislation allows each county in the state to decide whether to adopt the provision. To qualify for Laura’s Law, an individual must have a serious mental illness that resulted in a psychiatric hospitalization or incarceration twice in the previous three years or resulted in violent behavior within the past 48 months. Laura’s Law is designed specifically to help individuals with mental illness who suffer from a condition known as “anosognosia,” a complete lack of awareness of their mental illness. Court-ordered medication outreach means that while medication is not forced, medication outreach is ordered when a client agrees to medication as part of treatment (the medication is to be self-administered.)

2020 legislation, AB 1976 requires counties to participate in Laura's Law unless they opt out.

Counties with Laura's Law:

Alameda County
Contra Costa County
El Dorado County
Fresno County
Humboldt County
Kern County
Kings County
Los Angeles County
Marin County
Mariposa County
Mendocino County
Napa County
Nevada County
Orange County
Placer County
Riverside County
Sacramento County
San Bernardino County
San Diego County
San Francisco City/County
San Luis Obispo County
San Mateo County
Santa Barbara County
Santa Clara County
Shasta County
Siskiyou County
Solano County
Stanislaus County
Tehama County
Tulare County
Ventura County
Yolo County

Counties who have opted to not implement Laura's Law/AOT include (12/2021):
Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Del Norte, Glenn, Imperial, Inyo, Lake, Lassen, Madera, Merced, Modoc, Mono, Monterey, Plumas, San Benito, San Joaquin, Santa Cruz, Sierra, Sonoma, Sutter/Yuba, Trinity, Tuolumne

Presentations

Presentations from Provider,
Panel of Consumer and Family Members

Laura's Law & AOT Implementation

Nevada County
Contra Costa County
Santa Clara County

Articles/Reports

Laura’s Law Legislative Report, July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2020
The AOT program showed high voluntary participation – 72 percent of eligible individuals responded to the initial invitation for voluntary services and did not require a court petition or process. Counties attribute this to successful initial outreach and engagement. Key Highlights:

Homelessness decreased by 32 percent.
Hospitalization decreased by 40 percent.
Contact with law enforcement decreased by 42 percent.
Thirty percent of individuals were able to secure employment or participated in employment and/or educational services.
Victimization decreased by 72 percent.
Violent behavior decreased by 63 percent. Substance abuse was reduced by 21 percent.
Counties that provided data on clients’ social functioning and independent living skills reported improvements in these areas.
Satisfaction surveys indicated both client and family member satisfaction with AOT services.

Laura's Law Legislative Report, July 1, 2018-June 30, 2019
Key Highlights:

Hospitalizations were reduced by a 33 percent change during AOT, as compared to prior to the program. All counties reported a decrease in the number of days hospitalized, frequency of psychiatric hospitalizations, and/or crisis interventions per individual.
Law enforcement contacts were reduced by a 43 percent change during AOT, as compared to prior to the program. Five counties reported all participants avoided law enforcement contact while receiving services. Four of the six counties that reported incarcerations of participants during AOT, noted reductions in the number of days incarcerated per individual.