The Baker Act
CCHR Kicks Off 2020 Campaign with an Open House to Raise Awareness on Abuse of Mental Health Laws
The Florida chapter of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), a non-profit watchdog organization that exposes and eradicates abuses in the mental health industry, will be hosting a series of Open House events...
CCHR Humanitarian Award Presented to Attorney Dedicated to Restoring Human Rights
Attended by hundreds of guests, the 4th Annual Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) Humanitarian Awards Banquet once again honored the many dedicated volunteers and supporters of CCHR for their work help restore...
Justin Drach: Florida-based Attorney Fighting Widespread Abuses in the Psychiatric Industry
Every year hundreds of thousands of people are taken into custody for involuntary psychiatric examination across the state of Florida. Called a Baker Act, the rampant abuse of rights under this law contributes to tens...
Surge in Child Baker Acts Prompts Watchdog to Call for Greater Protection of Children
The mental health law in Florida, commonly called a Baker Act, allows for a person of any age to be taken into custody and transported to a psychiatric facility for examination. During 2018 there were over 200,000...
UK Legislators Asked to Increase Oversight and Criminal Accountability in U.S. Owned For-Profit Behavioral Hospitals
Hundreds of UK legislators have been sent a White Paper on Fraud and Abuse in the UK’s for-profit behavioral industry, calling for tighter oversight and accountability of facilities owned by U.S companies, Acadia...
CCHR, Mental Health Industry Watchdog, Rails Against Use of Commitment Laws That Detain Patients for Profit
Involuntary commitment laws are being used to detain mental health patients for profit, with the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) saying the system needs to be overhauled and stringent penalties put in place...
Mental Health Watchdog Cites United Nations Report on Enforced (Involuntary) ECT is Recognized Torture
In a continuing series about the use of electroshock treatment (ECT) and this practice putting at risk a reported 100,000 Americans every year, Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR), a mental health...
Another Psychiatric Drug, Another Act of Senseless Violence: the All-Too Often Finding in Mass Killings CCHR reports
Montgomery County Coroner has confirmed that the alleged Dayton, Ohio shooter had the benzodiazepine, alprazolam, in his system along with cocaine, alcohol and other substances.[i] In its report, Psychiatric Drugs...
Multi-Million Fines Insufficient to Curb Abuse in For-Profit Behavioral Health Industry
Universal Health Services (UHS), which owns a chain of for-profit psychiatric facilities in the U.S. and the United Kingdom, has agreed to pay $127 million to settle a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) civil probe into...
CCHR Led Hundreds of Protestors Outside Psychiatric Convention Demanding a Ban on Electroshock Treatment
Members of the mental health watchdog, Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) and others concerned about the continuing use of electroshock treatment on 100,000 Americans each year—some aged five or younger [1]...
CCHR Continues Fight to Reform Mental Health Law in Campaign to Protect Children
The Florida chapter of the international mental health watchdog, Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), has been working for years to create positive change in how the mental health law is applied to children and...
Humanitarian Award Presented to Attorney Committed to Fighting for Human Rights
Distinguished Florida attorney, Mrs. Carmen Miller, received the CCHR Humanitarian Award during a banquet held at the historic Fort Harrison in downtown Clearwater for her work in the fight to protect individuals from...
Hundreds Gather to Protest the Psychiatric Drugging and Shocking of Children
The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), a non-profit mental health watchdog dedicated to the protection of children, held a demonstration in Orlando at the Psych Congress protesting the drugging and...
Mental Health Watchdog on a Crusade to Protect Children from Illegal Baker Acts
Seen as a statewide crisis, 32,763 involuntary examinations were initiated on children during 2016-2017 according to a report recently released by the Baker Act Reporting Center. The Citizens Commission on Human...
Mental Health Watchdog Hosts Baker Act Defense Attorney Symposium
The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) hosted a conference on the Florida mental health law for defense attorneys for the purpose of discussing strategies to effectively serve families and to eradicate...