Baker Act Blog

If your child has just been Baker Acted, it is crucial that you resist the temptation to fly into a panic. At this time, you need to remain calm and act quickly to ensure that your child’s best interests are protected and that they are released from the facility they’re being held in as soon […]

When a loved one has been subject to an emergency Baker Act hold, obtaining reliable legal support should be your first priority. When you have an experienced Baker Act attorney in your corner, you have much stronger prospects of securing your loved one’s release quickly and without lengthy legal proceedings. Your attorney will play a […]

Having a child subjected to an involuntary Baker Act hold is an incredibly stressful experience for any parent. Many Florida parents are not even aware that minors can be subject to Baker Act holds until they find out that their child has been taken to a facility. If your child is being held in a […]

Helping a loved one navigate a mental health crisis can be an overwhelming experience, and you may be struggling to decide how best to intervene to get them the treatment they need. You may have heard of the voluntary psychiatric admission process regulated by Florida’s Baker Act, and perhaps are considering whether this would be an […]

A mental health crisis can create a complex situation for everyone involved, especially when a person poses a danger to themselves or others. The Baker Act (also known as the Florida Mental Health Act of 1971) allows for involuntary emergency detention and examination during these crises by giving law enforcement, judges, or mental health professionals […]

Florida’s Baker Act provides a lifeline for those who are experiencing a mental health crisis but don’t have the capacity to access the treatment and care they desperately need. It sets out a process in terms of which a person can be involuntarily hospitalized by the State for stabilizing psychiatric care, and assessed to determine […]

The Florida Mental Health Act (Baker Act) is intended to provide short-term emergency inpatient care for individuals experiencing a mental health crisis. It is an involuntary process designed for emergencies, but can those who petition the Baker Act get it wrong? In some cases, the Baker Act may be initiated by mistake, as decisions are […]

The Baker Act has noble intentions, namely to allow for involuntary mental health evaluation and the temporary detention of an individual experiencing a serious mental health crisis. However, sometimes the Baker Act is not enacted properly, and the intervention is not appropriate. While the goal is to offer crisis intervention and safety for the individual […]

Florida’s Mental Health Act – more commonly referred to as the Baker Act – has been in effect for over 50 years. In that time, it has facilitated thousands of life-saving emergency mental health interventions. However, like any piece of legislation, the Act is also far from perfect, and requires regular amending and updating as […]

In Florida, it is not uncommon for people who have chronic health issues to grant a trusted family member a healthcare proxy, which gives that family member the right to make medical decisions on their behalf in certain circumstances. Although healthcare proxies can give family members wide authority to make healthcare decisions on behalf of […]