Arizona courts may hold mental health hearings remotely and order secure treatment

A judge may allow remote participation in a proceeding under Arizona's mental health law. This applies to patients, lawyers, and witnesses in proceedings under this chapter. The judge must find that remote participation will not unfairly harm a party or witness. The judge may consider travel burdens and whether everyone can hear one another.

A court may approve placement in a licensed secure behavioral health residence for treatment. The court may consider this placement for a person who qualifies for court-ordered treatment and meets the law's criteria for chronic resistance. The court must find by clear and convincing evidence that the person is seriously mentally ill and chronically resistant to treatment. The court must consider less restrictive care and confirm that secure placement is the least restrictive setting that can ensure compliance with the treatment plan. The law does not count this placement as inpatient treatment when calculating the maximum inpatient-treatment period. These provisions apply retroactively to events from and after April 30, 2025.

The Arizona Supreme Court must establish a program for checking active treatment orders across counties. The program serves superior court judges, county attorneys, patients' attorneys, certain hospitals, regional behavioral health authorities, and behavioral health providers. The program is for enforcing or supporting treatment under an active court order. It must limit shared information to what is needed for that purpose and require recipients to keep it confidential.