Matter of Detention of Rs

This is an appeal of two civil commitment cases in which the commissioner dismissed petitions for the involuntary detention of Respondents, R.S. and J.M. At issue in this case is the proper interpretation of the involun tary treatment provisions of RCW 71.05 as they pertain to mentally retarded and other developmentally disabled individuals.

J.M. was admitted to Western State Hospital on July 31, 1992, after having had an acute exacerbation of psychosis and several medical complications. Clerk’s Papers (J.M.), at 4. On August 13, 1992, the Petitioners for involuntary detention, Kamran Naficy,…