Laura's Law

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.)

Legislative Reports

Laura's Law/AOT Legislative Report, 2022-23 (published 2025) This report provides statewide programmatic updates and aggregate outcomes for 192 participants from 17 counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Humboldt, Kern, Los Angeles, Mendocino, Napa, Nevada, Orange, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Stanislaus, Tehama, Tulare, and Ventura.  (Fresno, San Luis Obispo, Siskiyou, and Yolo are operational, but no individuals were enrolled in AOT services during this reporting period.)
Key Outcomes ​
  • Homelessness decreased by 29 percent.
  • Hospitalization decreased by 43 percent.
  • Contact with law enforcement decreased by 37 percent.
  • Thirty-six percent of participants were able to secure employment or participated in employment and/or educational services.
  • Victimization decreased by 68 percent.
  • Violent behavior decreased by 52 percent.
  • Substance use decreased by 24 percent.
  • Counties that provided data on social functioning reported improvements by 44 percent among participants at the time of court discharge.​

Laura's Law/AOT Legislative Report, 2021-2022, Key Outcomes (published 2024):
  • Homelessness decreased by 16 percent.
  • Hospitalization decreased by 52 percent.
  • Contact with law enforcement decreased by 41 percent.
  • Forty percent of participants were able to secure employment or participated in employment and/or educational services.
  • Victimization decreased by 60 percent.
  • Violent behavior decreased by 61 percent.
  • Substance use was reduced by 30 percent.
  • Counties that provided data on social functioning reported improvements by 82 percent amongst participants at the time of court discharge.

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.​​

Updates

2024 Update: SB 1400, Criminal procedure: competence to stand trial.

2023 Update: AB 1412, Removes borderline personality disorder as an exclusion for pretrial diversion.

2022 Update: SB-1035
  • Authorizes the court to conduct status hearings with the person and the treatment team to receive information regarding progress related to the categories of treatment listed in the treatment plan and authorize the court to inquire about medication adherence.
  • Requires the director of the outpatient treatment program to also report to the court on adherence to prescribed medication when making the above-described affidavit.

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) 

Presentations

Presentations from Provider,
​Panel of Consumer and Family Members
​
​CA counties map by behavioral health region, showing 58 counties plus Berkeley and Tri-Cities. (Sutter and Yuba Counties are one jurisdiction). View map.
The california association of local behavioral* health boards & commissions (cALBHB/C) supports the work of california's 59 local behavioral health boards and commissions by providing resources, training and Technical Assistance. 

Local boards are responsible** for reviewing public behavioral health needs, services, facilities and special problems, and serve in an advisory capacity to local governing bodies and local behavioral health directors. ​

​*"Behavioral" Refers to Mental Health as well as Alcohol and Drugs.
**CA Welfare & Institutions Code (WIC) 5604
Donations are welcome. CALBHB/C is a nonprofit organization.