District Court (Third District : Salt Lake County)

Documenting forms and papers used by the district court to have individuals committed to mental health institutions, includes all which present evidence why the individual should be committed.

This series contains files documenting the process followed by the court to determine the mental state of an individual and whether or not he/she should be involuntarily committed to a mental health care facility. The files typically include such documents as an application for commitment of an insane person, a warrant for the detainment of the named person, an evaluation signed by medical doctors giving their assessment of the individual's mental state, a commitment order signed by the judge, and a notice of the release of the individual if detained in a psychiatric institution. In some cases the individual was deemed to be of sound mind and not committed to a hospital. Most of the individuals deemed in need of hospitalization were sent to the State Insane Asylum or State Hospital, but some were committed to the care of the Salt Lake County General Hospital or the Veterans' Hospital. Occasionally the files include other supporting documents, such as correspondence.