Guide  Standards of Judicial Practice: Civil Commitment and Authorization of Medical Treatment for Mental Illness

The District Court is responsible for conducting sixteen separate types of mental health or addiction proceedings under G.L. c. 123. These Standards address only the first two of these five types of proceedings: civil commitment of mentally ill persons and medical treatment of civilly committed persons. They have been promulgated to provide guidance in applying the law and to promote uniformity of procedure in such cases in the District Court.