No person shall be involuntarily hospitalized unless such person is a mentally ill person: (1) Who presents a danger or threat of danger to self, family or others as a result of the
mental illness;

Terms Used In Kentucky Statutes 202A.026

  • Mentally ill person: means a person with substantially impaired capacity to use self-control, judgment, or discretion in the conduct of the person's affairs and social relations, associated with maladaptive behavior or recognized emotional symptoms where impaired capacity, maladaptive behavior, or emotional symptoms can be related to physiological, psychological, or social factors. See Kentucky Statutes 202A.011
  • Treatment: when used in a criminal justice context, means targeted interventions
    that focus on criminal risk factors in order to reduce the likelihood of criminal behavior. See Kentucky Statutes 446.010

(2) Who can reasonably benefit from treatment; and
(3) For whom hospitalization is the least restrictive alternative mode of treatment presently available.
Effective: July 1, 1982
History: Created 1982 Ky. Acts ch. 445, sec. 4, effective July 1, 1982.
Legislative Research Commission Note. This section was enacted in 1982 Acts, Chapter 445, which contains the following language in Section 45 of that Act: “This Act shall become effective on July 1, 1982.” The Ky. Constitution, in Section 55, requires that a reason be set forth for the emergency. However, no reason is set forth in this Act. The effective date for 1982 Acts with no emergency provision is July 15,
1982.