Newsom proposes mental health courts for homeless people

California’s governor proposed a plan Thursday to offer more services to homeless people with severe mental health and addiction disorders even if that means forcing some into care, a move that many advocates of homeless people oppose as a violation of civil rights. The proposal by Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, would require all counties to set up a mental health branch in civil court and provide comprehensive and community-based treatment to those suffering from debilitating psychosis. People would be obligated to accept the care or risk criminal charges, if those are pending, and if not, they would be subject to being held in psychiatric programs involuntarily or lengthier conservatorships in which the court appoints a person to make health decisions for someone who cannot.

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