NY law permits judges to order treatment for seriously mentally ill people who have records of failing to take medication, and who have consequently been rehospitalized or jailed or have exhibited violent behaviour

Such laws make sense -- yes the do violate personal liberty but they are the lesser of two evils

‪ ‬‪http://tinyurl.com/32s5te7

‬‪Make Kendra's Law Permanent‬‪
By E. FULLER TORREY‬‪ ‬‪

ELEVEN years ago, when the New York Legislature passed Kendra's Law, few could have foretold what a resounding success it would be.

At the time lawmakers were searching for a useful response to the tragic death of 32-year-old Kendra Webdale, who was pushed in front of a subway train in Manhattan by a stranger who had untreated schizophrenia.

The law, initially intended for a trial period of five years, .In 2005, Kendra's Law was extended for another five years. In all, more than 8,000 people have been treated under its provisions, and the results have been striking. A 2005 study of more than 2,700 people to whom the law was applied found that, after treatment, the rate of homelessness in the population fell by 74 percent, the number who needed to be rehospitalized dropped by 77 percent and the number arrested fell by 83 percent. And a study published this year found that people receiving treatment under Kendra's Law were only one-fourth as likely to commit violent acts, had a reduced risk of suicide and were functioning better socially than members of a control group.‬ ‪ ‬