District of Columbia · Through 2026-08-20 (D.C. Law 26-175)

D.C. Code § 21-906: Examinations; adjudications; laws applicable; expense of care and treatment.

(a)
The Superintendent of Saint Elizabeths Hospital shall promptly examine a person committed as provided by sections 21-902 and 21-903, and, if not found to have a mental illness, shall forthwith discharge him, or, if found to have a mental illness, shall return him to the State of his residence or to his relatives, if practicable.

(b)
Proceedings for the adjudication of a person referred to by subsection (a) of this section, or of a person admitted to the hospital pursuant to section 21-904, as a person with a mental illness, and for the appointment of a committee of his person or property, may be instituted in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia by the Secretary of Health and Human Services or by a party interest. The laws of the District of Columbia apply to the proceedings. This chapter does not impose upon the District of Columbia the expense of care and treatment of a person apprehended, detained, or committed under this chapter, unless the person is a resident of the District of Columbia as defined by subsection (b) of section 21-551.

Where this section sits in the code

Title 21. Fiduciary Relations and Persons with Mental Illness. [Enacted title]
Chapter 9. Persons with Mental Illness Found in Certain Federal Reservations.

(a)

The Superintendent of Saint Elizabeths Hospital shall promptly examine a person committed as provided by sections 21-902 and 21-903, and, if not found to have a mental illness, shall forthwith discharge him, or, if found to have a mental illness, shall return him to the State of his residence or to his relatives, if practicable.

(b)

Proceedings for the adjudication of a person referred to by subsection (a) of this section, or of a person admitted to the hospital pursuant to section 21-904, as a person with a mental illness, and for the appointment of a committee of his person or property, may be instituted in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia by the Secretary of Health and Human Services or by a party interest. The laws of the District of Columbia apply to the proceedings. This chapter does not impose upon the District of Columbia the expense of care and treatment of a person apprehended, detained, or committed under this chapter, unless the person is a resident of the District of Columbia as defined by subsection (b) of section 21-551.

Collected 2026-08-29T05:44:07Z. Source file · JSON

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