Laura's Law Could Be Implemented In Santa Clara Co. In Early 2022

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA — Laura’s Law, also known as Assisted Outpatient Treatment, could be implemented in Santa Clara County as soon as next February after the county’s Board of Supervisors approved plans during a meeting this week.

In March, the supervisors voted unanimously to implement the law, paving the way for court-ordered treatment for people with severe mental illness and a history of hospitalization or incarceration. The law is intended to be a temporary mechanism and serve as a bridge to recovery, and medication cannot be forced upon a patient.

The number of people in the county who meet the criteria for the law could range between 39 and 236 residents per year and only 20 to 50 of those people may require mandated treatment, according to a news release.

Related: Santa Clara County Supervisors Vote To Implement Laura's Law

“I’m pleased to see this program moving forward,” Supervisor Joe Simitian said in a news release. “There are folks in our community who have a right to mental health care but unfortunately have not yet been able to access the support they need because they are too ill to know they need treatment. Soon we’ll have a chance to get them some help.”

The supervisors also approved 11 new positions to staff the program, which will include a psychologist and social workers.

Laura's Law was passed in California in 2001 following the death of Laura Wilcox, a 19-year-old who worked at the Nevada County Department of Behavioral Health and was killed by a former patient with severe mental illness who had resisted treatment. The law was modeled after Kendra's Law, a similar statute enacted in New York