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The article examines concerns among U.S. legislators that legislation on the rights of mentally ill persons submitted by Representative Tim Murphy might make it too easy for such persons to be committed for treatment against their will.

The article reports on the views of the U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder on the excessive use of solitary confinement for juveniles with mental illness. Topics discussed include impact of solitary confinement on psychology of juveniles for causing self-harm, importance of juvenile correctional facilities for improving the mental health and impact of detention and isolation on the juveniles suffering with disabilities. It further discusses importance of law enforcement for juvenile detention.

The author argues that U.S. patient protections that allow patients to refuse treatment should be modified to allow for greater family involvement in order to make certain mental health patients more likely to be treated for conditions that are likely to lead to violence and suicide.

The author comments on the public mental health system in the U.S. He mentions that several studies have proved that the release of seriously mentally ill individuals from state hospitals are associated with homicide cases. He discusses an outpatient commitment program formed through the enactment of Kendra's Law in New York which led to a decrease in the cases of physical acts of violence. He notes that outpatient programs are not used as mental-health professionals refuse to mandate treatment and that such are perceive to be expensive.

Discusses questions about the role and facilities of Washington State's mental health system raised by Buford O. Furrow Jr.'s August 10, 1999 murder of a postal worker in Los Angeles, California. Furrow's previous criminal record, including an attack on children in a Jewish community center, and history with the state's mental health system; Question of whether he should have been committed to an institution; Restrictions that the court placed on Furrow.

Reports that Great Britain's law enforcement authorities are stepping onto controversial new ground in a bid to head off potential crimes by those judged to be untreatable psychopaths and child molesters. Home Secretary Jack Straw's urging of Parliament to approve allowing courts to order the detention of people with severe personality disorders, even if they have not committed a crime; Hostile reactions from lawyers and civil liberty groups.

Opinion. Comments on the trend toward civil confinement of sexual criminals in the United States, while focusing on the passage of a law by Florida's legislature allowing the state to commit sexually violent criminals to mental institutions even after they have completed their prison terms. Public reaction if sexual offenders are given long prison sentences; Details on the case, Hendricks v. Kansas, upholding the constitutionality of such laws; Details on the issue.