Skip to main content Skip to office menu Skip to footer
Capital IconMinnesota Legislature

Office of the Revisor of Statutes

253B.10 PROCEDURES UPON COMMITMENT.

Subdivision 1.Administrative requirements.

(a) When a person is committed, the court shall issue a warrant or an order committing the patient to the custody of the head of the treatment facility, state-operated treatment program, or community-based treatment program. The warrant or order shall state that the patient meets the statutory criteria for civil commitment.

(b) The commissioner shall prioritize patients being admitted from jail or a correctional institution who are:

(1) ordered confined in a state-operated treatment program for an examination under Minnesota Rules of Criminal Procedure, rules 20.01, subdivision 4, paragraph (a), and 20.02, subdivision 2;

(2) under civil commitment for competency treatment and continuing supervision under Minnesota Rules of Criminal Procedure, rule 20.01, subdivision 7;

(3) found not guilty by reason of mental illness under Minnesota Rules of Criminal Procedure, rule 20.02, subdivision 8, and under civil commitment or are ordered to be detained in a state-operated treatment program pending completion of the civil commitment proceedings; or

(4) committed under this chapter to the commissioner after dismissal of the patient's criminal charges.

Patients described in this paragraph must be admitted to a state-operated treatment program within 48 hours. The commitment must be ordered by the court as provided in section 253B.09, subdivision 1, paragraph (d).

(c) Upon the arrival of a patient at the designated treatment facility, state-operated treatment program, or community-based treatment program, the head of the facility or program shall retain the duplicate of the warrant and endorse receipt upon the original warrant or acknowledge receipt of the order. The endorsed receipt or acknowledgment must be filed in the court of commitment. After arrival, the patient shall be under the control and custody of the head of the facility or program.

(d) Copies of the petition for commitment, the court's findings of fact and conclusions of law, the court order committing the patient, the report of the court examiners, and the prepetition report, and any medical and behavioral information available shall be provided at the time of admission of a patient to the designated treatment facility or program to which the patient is committed. Upon a patient's referral to the commissioner of human services for admission pursuant to subdivision 1, paragraph (b), any inpatient hospital, treatment facility, jail, or correctional facility that has provided care or supervision to the patient in the previous two years shall, when requested by the treatment facility or commissioner, provide copies of the patient's medical and behavioral records to the Department of Human Services for purposes of preadmission planning. This information shall be provided by the head of the treatment facility to treatment facility staff in a consistent and timely manner and pursuant to all applicable laws.

(e) Patients described in paragraph (b) must be admitted to a state-operated treatment program within 48 hours of the Office of Medical Director, under section 246.018, or a designee determining that a medically appropriate bed is available. This paragraph expires on June 30, 2025.

Subd. 2.Transportation.

(a) When a patient is about to be placed in a treatment facility, state-operated treatment program, or community-based treatment program, the court may order the designated agency, treatment facility, state-operated treatment program, or community-based treatment program, or any responsible adult to transport the patient. A protected transport provider may transport the patient according to section 256B.0625, subdivision 17. Whenever possible, a peace officer who provides the transportation shall not be in uniform and shall not use a vehicle visibly marked as a law enforcement vehicle. The proposed patient may be accompanied by one or more interested persons.

(b) When a patient who is at a state-operated treatment program requests a hearing for adjudication of a patient's status pursuant to section 253B.17, the commissioner shall provide transportation.

Subd. 3.Notice of admission.

Whenever a committed person has been admitted to a treatment facility, state-operated treatment program, or community-based treatment program under the provisions of section 253B.09 or 253B.18, the head of the facility or program shall immediately notify the patient's spouse, health care agent, or parent and the county of financial responsibility if the county may be liable for a portion of the cost of treatment. If the committed person was admitted upon the petition of a spouse, health care agent, or parent, the head of the treatment facility, state-operated treatment program, or community-based treatment program shall notify an interested person other than the petitioner.

Subd. 3a.Interim custody and treatment of committed person.

When the patient is present in a treatment facility or state-operated treatment program at the time of the court's commitment order, unless the court orders otherwise, the commitment order constitutes authority for that facility or program to confine and provide treatment to the patient until the patient is transferred to the facility or program to which the patient has been committed.

Subd. 4.Private treatment.

Patients or other responsible persons are required to pay the necessary charges for patients committed or transferred to treatment facilities or community-based treatment programs. Treatment facilities or community-based treatment programs may not refuse to accept a committed person solely based on the person's court-ordered status. Insurers must provide treatment and services as ordered by the court under section 253B.045, subdivision 6, or as required under chapter 62M.

Subd. 5.Transfer to voluntary status.

At any time prior to the expiration of the initial commitment period, a patient who has not been committed as a person who has a mental illness and is dangerous to the public or a sexually dangerous person or a sexual psychopathic personality may be transferred to voluntary status upon the patient's application in writing with the consent of the head of the facility or program to which the person is committed. Upon transfer, the head of the treatment facility, state-operated treatment program, or community-based treatment program shall immediately notify the court in writing and the court shall terminate the proceedings.

Official Publication of the State of Minnesota
Revisor of Statutes