(a) Every adult who is or has been admitted or committed to a state hospital, developmental center, community care facility, as defined in Section 1502 of the Health and Safety Code, health facility, as defined in Section 1250 of the Health and Safety Code, or any other appropriate placement permitted by law, as a developmentally disabled patient shall have a right to a hearing by writ of habeas corpus for his or her release from the hospital, developmental center, community care facility, or health facility after he or she or any person acting on his or her behalf makes a request for release to any member of the staff of the state hospital, developmental center, community care facility, or health facility or to any employee of a regional center.

(b) The member of the staff or regional center employee to whom a request for release is made shall promptly provide the person making the request for his or her signature or mark a copy of the form set forth below. The member of the staff, or regional center employee, as the case may be, shall fill in his or her own name and the date, and, if the person signs by mark, shall fill in the person’s name, and shall then deliver the completed copy to the medical director of the state hospital or developmental center, the administrator or director of the community care facility, or the administrator or director of the health facility, as the case may be, or his or her designee, notifying him or her of the request. As soon as possible, the person notified shall inform the superior court for the appropriate county, as indicated in Section 4801, of the request for release and shall transmit a copy of the request for release to the person’s parent or conservator together with a statement that notice of judicial proceedings taken pursuant to that request will be forwarded by the court. The copy of the request for release and the notice shall be sent by the person notified by registered or certified mail with proper postage prepaid, addressed to the addressee’s last known address, and with a return receipt requested. The person notified shall also transmit a copy of the request for release and the name and address of the person’s parent or conservator to the court.

(c) Any person who intentionally violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor.

(d) The form for a request for release shall be substantially as follows:

(Name of the state hospital, developmental center, community care facility, or health facility or regional center) ____ day of ____ 19__

I, ____ (member of the staff of the state hospital, developmental center, community care facility, or health facility or employee of the regional center), have today received a request for the release from ____ (name of state hospital, developmental center, or community care facility) State Hospital, developmental center, community care facility, or health facility of ____ (name of patient) from the undersigned patient on his or her own behalf or from the undersigned person on behalf of the patient.

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Signature or mark of patient making request for release

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Signature or mark of person making request on behalf of patient

(Amended by Stats. 1996, Ch. 1076, Sec. 3. Effective January 1, 1997.)