Mail privileges; censored mail; return to sender; visiting hours

  1. Law
  2. District of Columbia Code
  3. Fiduciary Relations and Persons with Mental Illness. [Enacted title]
  4. Hospitalization of Persons with Mental Illness
  5. Right to Communication; Exercise of Other Rights
  6. Mail privileges; censored mail; return to sender; visiting hours

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(a) A person hospitalized in a public or private hospital pursuant to this chapter, or committed under sections 21-545, 21-545.01, or 21-548, may exercise the right to communicate with others as set forth in the Mental Health Consumers’ Rights Protection Act of 2001, effective December 18, 2001 (D.C. Law 14-56; D.C. Official Code § 7-1231.01 et seq.).

(b) Repealed.

(c) This section does not prohibit the administrator of a hospital from making reasonable rules regarding visitation hours.

(Sept. 14, 1965, 79 Stat. 758, Pub. L. 89-183, § 1; Feb. 24, 1984, D.C. Law 5-48, § 11(a)(15), 30 DCR 5778; Apr. 4, 2003, D.C. Law 14-283, § 2(aa), 50 DCR 917.)

Prior Codifications

1981 Ed., § 21-561.

1973 Ed., § 21-561.

Effect of Amendments

D.C. Law 14-283 rewrote subsecs. (a) and (c); and repealed subsec. (b).

Emergency Legislation

For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 2(z) of Mental Health Commitment Emergency Amendment Act of 2002 (D.C. Act 14-265, January 30, 2002, 49 DCR 1450).

For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 2(z) of Mental Health Commitment Congressional Review Emergency Act of 2002 (D.C. Act 14-350, April 24, 2002, 49 DCR 4417).

For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 2(aa) of Mental Health Civil Commitment Emergency Act of 2002 (D.C. Act 14-546, December 12, 2002, 50 DCR 199).

For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 2(aa) of Mental Health Civil Commitment Congressional Review Emergency Act of 2003 (D.C. Act 15-41, March 24, 2003, 50 DCR 2784).

Temporary Legislation

Section 2(z) of D.C. Law 14-131 repealed subsec. (b) and rewrote subsecs. (a) and (c) to read as follows:

“(a) A person hospitalized in a public or private hospital pursuant to this chapter, or committed under sections 21-545, 21-545.01, or 21-548, may exercise the right to communicate with others as set forth in the Mental Health Consumers’ Rights Protection Act of 2001, effective December 18, 2001 (D.C. Law 14-56; 48 DCR 7674).”

“(c) This section does not prohibit the administrator of a hospital from making reasonable rules regarding visitation hours.”

References in Text

Section 21-545.01, referred to in subsec. (a), is enacted only upon enactment of certain legislation by the United States Congress.


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