302 Petition:
An authorization for involuntary emergency evaluation for no more than 120 hours (5 days). Three people can authorize this: a County Mental Health Officer, a policeman, or a physician. The reasons for seeking a 302 are that a person exhibiting severe mental disability poses a present danger to self or others. The person will be taken to a hospital for an examination. At the hospital, a doctor decides whether the person needs hospitalization or not. If the person is not hospitalized he/she is returned to the community where he/she was picked up. If the hospital wants to keep the person for more than 120 hours it must file a 303.
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