Florida Is Locking Up 161,000 People a Year and Calling It Mental Health Care. The Data Say Otherwise
Somewhere in Florida today, a child will be handcuffed by a police officer, placed in the back of a squad car, and driven to a locked psychiatric facility; not because the child committed a crime, but because a school administrator decided the child needed a mental...
CCHR QUARTERLY REPORT: Evidence That Coercive Psychiatric Detention Fails and Harms Those It Purports to Help
Executive Summary Florida’s Baker Act, the Florida Mental Health Act of 1971, authorizes law enforcement, health professionals, and courts to involuntarily detain individuals experiencing a mental health crisis for up to 72-hour psychiatric examinations. The...
News
News Listen to Me!Host: Pastor Jay J. RodriguezPublished: March 5, 2026The President for the Florida chapter of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights went on the air to talk about the newest documentary produced by CCHR. Titled, Prescription for Violence:...
Overruling the Baker Act
Confirmation of hospital’s position that a physician may override statutory Baker Act requirements A recent video deposition shared by a Florida attorney online clearly shows that the Baker Act Receiving Facility (BARF) involved clearly believes that they are...
Investigate the Link between Psychiatric Drugs and Senseless Violence
In support of Senate Bill 54: Use of Substances Affecting Cognitive Function CCHR is imploring officials to investigate the very real possibility that the dangerous side effects of psychotropic drugs are the bottom of these tragedies. For almost 30 years, CCHR has...Statement – SB 54: Use of Substances Affecting Cognitive Function
CCHR has found that a majority of those who have committed acts of violence such as the mass murders that have occurred in recent years, were either on or withdrawing from psychiatric drugs that come with warnings of dangerous side effects. The correlation is not...
Mental Health and the Protection of Children
Helping children in crisis and reducing youth suicide are two areas of concern that everyone agrees must be addressed. Unfortunately, the solutions of the past (screenings, more funding, the Baker Acting of kids) have not worked. Prior to 1997, existing...
Mental Health Watchdog Calling for a Ban on the Use of the Electroshock Machine in Florida
After a public records request revealed that children in the under 5 age group are given electroshock, the Citizens Commission on Human Rights is calling for a ban of its use, citing a lack of clinical studies on safety and effectiveness. Concerned citizens, business...
Mental Health Awareness Month Open House – Hosted by the Florida Chapter of CCHR
Held in the state headquarters located in Clearwater, the event hopes to education citizens on their mental health human rights and the reformation needed to protect those rights. Clearwater, FL, April 30, 2025 – The month of May is annually observed as “Mental...
Forced Psychiatric Treatment: Is Anyone Safe?
All 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C. have laws that permit involuntary psychiatric treatment, based on several landmark Supreme Court cases. The premise is safety for society, yet the results are catastrophic. Empirical evidence A 2014 Danish registry study...
March is Self-Harm Month: The Citizens Commission on Human Rights of Florida Offers a Look at the Risks and Possible Solutions
Unfortunately, the natural progression laid out by the psychiatric community often leads to a prescription of psychotropic drugs with no resolution of the original problem. March is annually observed as Self-Harm Awareness Month but unless you are involved in mental...
America the Drugged: The Ugly Truth About Violence in Our Communities
Hundreds of thousands of Americans have died due to drugs and the efforts to prevent drug abuse have not stopped this crisis. But underneath it all is a hidden tale of addiction, violence and the greed of those who profess their intention to help. The War on Drugs The...
Hundreds Attend the Citizens Commission on Human Rights Hosted Event in Honor of Purple Heart Day
August 7th is observed annually across the country to recognize those who have been awarded the Purple Heart Medal for their sacrifice in service to the United States. The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), an award-winning nonprofit that works to protect...
Testimonials – The Baker Act
These are letters and emails thanking CCHR Florida for the help provided to families: “Thanks for sending the documents, for all of your help and encouragement, and for being so accessible when I felt utterly helpless. The Baker Act Facility wore my daughter...Contact CCHR Florida
109 N. Fort Harrison Ave.
Clearwater, Florida 33755
Tel: 1-800-782-2878
