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Florida legal term

Mental health treatment facility in Florida Criminal Law

Current through 2026 Florida legislative session

In Florida criminal law, “Mental health treatment facility” is a term defined by statute rather than by its everyday meaning. Its statutory definition — quoted verbatim below — controls how the term is applied throughout the Florida criminal code.

What does “Mental health treatment facility” mean in Florida criminal law?

“Mental health treatment facility” means any extended treatment or hospitalization-level unit within the corrections system which the Assistant Secretary for Health Services of the department specifically designates by rule to provide acute mental health care and which may include involuntary treatment and therapeutic intervention in contrast to less intensive levels of care such as outpatient mental health care, transitional mental health care, or crisis stabilization care. (Fla. Stat. § 945.42)

Statutes defining or using this term

Related terms in the same statutes

This reference is informational and is not legal advice.