Art. 1459 Review by MHAS

If a minor was involuntarily committed under an older law before this Code took effect, and that minor does not already have a private lawyer, their case must be looked at again. Attorneys from the Mental Health Advocacy Service (MHAS) are the ones who will review these cases.

This review has to happen within one year after the new Code starts. The point is to make sure every minor still being held under an old commitment order gets a fresh legal look at their situation, since the rules may have changed.

After the review, one of two things has to happen. Either the minor gets released, or the state has to go through the proper process again to commit them under the new rules in this Code. This protects minors from being held under outdated procedures without a lawyer checking that everything is still being done correctly.