Parham v. J. R. - Significance

Halted a trend that had granted minors increasing constitutional protections.

The 1979 Supreme Court ruling in Parham v. J. R. reversed a federal court decision that banned minors from being committed to mental health facilities without an adversary hearing; in essence, it ruled that parents did have the right to commit their children.

Georgia law allowed a minor to be admitted for observation to a psychiatric hospital upon request of a parent; the staff would then judge a patient's suitability for treatment and could suggest an indefinite stay. In presenting its case, the state proved that many minors admitted to state-funded mental-health institutions had already undergone outpatient treatment at a community health center. In most cases, a minor would not be admitted to the separate juvenile unit of a psychiatric facility without a referral from a community clinic. One hospital, however, had a higher rate of admitting patients without referrals, and that was Milledgeville's Central State Regional Hospital.