Court Hearings
Probable Cause Hearing Within 72 Hours of Detention
Should the court order a Probable Cause Hearing, the subject will remain inpatient at North Central Health Care (or another facility as designated) until the time of the hearing.
The subject will be provided with an attorney from the Public Defender’s Office for the entire involuntary commitment process.
Treatment staff, law enforcement and/or witnesses present testimony to the court regarding their evaluation or observations of the subject. In the case of a 3-Party Petition, all petitioners will be required to testify in court in front of the subject. All petitioners will be cross-examined by the subject’s attorney regarding the contents of the Petition.
If the court finds probable cause to believe the allegations in the Statement of Emergency Detention or the 3-Party Petition, the subject is routinely returned to the facility to be examined by court-appointed examiners and await a final hearing
Final Hearing Within 14 Days of Detention
Evaluating doctors, treatment staff, law enforcement and/or witnesses/petitioners present testimony to the court regarding their evaluation or observations of the subject. Should the subject demand a jury trial, all treatment staff, evaluators, and witnesses/petitioners must be available for a full-day trial in order to provide testimony under oath.
After a final hearing, the subject may be committed for involuntary treatment up to six months. Commitment orders may be extended if properly petitioned by North Central Health Care, Marathon County’s designated care center.