Mental Health Services Emergency Commitment

Montgomery County Correctional Facility  | Telephone: (240) 773-9752

• State law specifies that a person suffering from a mental illness and who poses a threat to self or others, may be involuntarily committed to a state mental hospital for evaluation or treatment. 
• Involuntary commitments require certification by two licensed physicians or a licensed physician and a licensed clinical psychologist. Emergency room physicians may also be accessed in a crisis.    
• Most inmates who are involuntarily committed to a state hospital are transported to either Springfield Hospital Center (SHC) or Clifton T. Perkins Hospital.  The hospital site is determined by the inmates required level of security. 
• If an individual is in the process of leaving custody and is assessed to pose a threat to others or self, a DOCR or MMS masters level therapist may complete an Emergency Evaluation Petition on said individual who will then be assessed for involuntary hospitalization at a community hospital.