Page 18 - Baker Acted News Today

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office has announced funeral arrangements and a memorial fund for Master Corporal Brian LaVigne, who was killed Monday and was one shift away from retirement.

A mentally ill man who was shot by Daytona Beach police last week after police said he ran at an officer while armed with a sharp object has died. Andy A. Mansilla, 25, died after he was shot Dec. 17, Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young confirmed in a phone interview Wednesday. It was unclear Wednesday when Mansilla died. Young said that he could not comment on the shooting, which is being investigated — as is routine — by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Body camera video s...

Originally published on December 16, 2020 9:16 pm The Baker Act wasn’t designed for kids, yet the number of children being sent for involuntary psychiatric evaluations has continued to go up. State data shows schools make up nearly a quarter of all origin points for Baker Act referrals. Fear of school shootings and increased pressure to regulate student behavior mean one bad joke can plunge a child, and their family, into the states mental health system. Beth Carr and her son Chris, discove...

Originally published on December 15, 2020 8:57 pm Each day in Florida, about 100 kids are involuntarily committed for psychiatric exams under the states Baker Act. The law was not designed for children, yet over the past few years, the number of minors taken for mental health evaluations has increased. The issue is drawing more scrutiny from child advocates and lawmakers. But solutions to the problem aren’t easy. The reasons why children are committed are often complex. What happens when t...

Originally published on December 15, 2020 8:55 pm The Baker Act was not designed for kids, yet the number of children who are involuntarily committed keeps going up. State data shows kids with certain disabilities are becoming increasingly ensnared — despite language in the law meant to keep them out of the mental health system. The second part of this series about children who are committed examines why minors with emotional and developmental disabilities are more likely to be sent for invo...

Citizens Commission on Human Rights Diane Stein, center, and members of her organization Citizens Commission on Human Rights, have been working for years to advocate for parents and help them navigate issues involving the Baker Act. When it comes to children, Floridas law regarding involuntary commitments for psychiatric treatment is applied inconsistently. For more than 15 years, the number of children who are referred for involuntary psychiatric evaluations under the Baker Act has increased...

WFSU State data shows schools make up nearly a quarter of all origin points for Baker Act referrals. Data shows children who are committed under the Baker Act often are referred by school officials. School shootings and other incidents have placed more pressure on officials to intervene. The Baker Act wasn’t designed for kids, yet the number of children being sent for involuntary psychiatric evaluations has continued to go up. State data shows schools make up nearly a quarter of all origin ...

Martina Faulk, and her daughter, Nadia King, embrace in a photograph. Each year, about 36,000 children in Florida are involuntarily committed for psychiatric evaluations under the states Baker Act and disabled kids are becoming increasingly ensnared. The Baker Act was not designed for kids, yet the number of children who are involuntarily committed keeps going up. State data shows kids with certain disabilities are becoming increasingly ensnared — despite language in the law meant to keep the...

Nadias Minnie mouse play table, with a small guitar on it. The number of children who are taken for involuntary psychiatric evaluations in Florida increases every year. This is the first story in a five-part series about how the states Baker Act affects children. Each day in Florida, about 100 kids are involuntarily committed for psychiatric exams under the states Baker Act. The law was not designed for children, yet over the past few years, the number of minors taken for mental health evaluati...

Nadias Minnie mouse play table, with a small guitar on it. The number of children who are taken for involuntary psychiatric evaluations in Florida increases every year. This is the first story in a five-part series about how the states Baker Act affects children. Each day in Florida, about 100 kids are involuntarily committed for psychiatric exams under the states Baker Act. The law was not designed for children, yet over the past few years, the number of minors taken for mental health evaluat...