Author: Washington House Democrats

Joel Reuter was a young man in crisis. For years he had suffered from bipolar disorder and had previously been committed under Arizona’s petition system, monitored for a year to make sure he was recovering.

And for five years, Joel lived in Seattle without any significant mental health issues, working as a software engineer and living on Capitol Hill. But when he started showing signs of another crisis, his family tried 48 times to get their son the help he needed.

On July 5, 2013, Joel was killed in a standoff with police while suffering from a crisis where he thought he was shooting at zombies.

Joel’s Law was approved by the Legislature this year. It allows courts to order involuntary commitment if, after reviewing a family member’s petition and statement, feels that detention is warranted. Joel’s family would have been able to petition the courts to overrule decisions to not commit Joel to a facility if this law had been in effect.