Activity Instructions

1. To gain background into the issue of involuntary commitment, review the court opinion Stowers v. Wolodzko, 386 Mich. 119; 191 N.W.2d 355 (1971). [Note that this case was decided in 1971 on facts that occurred in the early 1960s. At the time, laws addressing involuntary psychiatric commitment were not common or were nonexistent in some jurisdictions.] Research your state's (OHIO) standards for involuntary commitment. Make a checklist detailing the procedural steps that should be followed in your state under the commitment laws.
2. After creating the checklist, provide your analysis of how a case like the Stowers case might be decided today. You might consider in your analysis questions such as whether there are additional procedures set in place today that counter the actions of the defendant in the Stowers case and how those procedures would make those actions of the defendant unlawful today.