Art. 661 Progress reports; responsibility to furnish

When someone is committed to a mental institution or mental health unit through the criminal court system, the people running that facility have an ongoing duty to check in on that person's case. Every six months, the head of the institution or the director of the mental health unit must write up a progress report on the patient.

This report doesn't just sit in a file. It has to be sent to three specific places: the court that originally committed the person, the judicial administrator, and the state attorney general's office. This keeps everyone involved informed about how the patient is doing over time.

The point of this rule is to make sure committed patients aren't forgotten about. Regular reporting means the court and other officials stay aware of the patient's status and can act if something needs to change, like if the person's condition improves enough that continued commitment isn't needed.