CINCINNATI — Hamilton County Probate Court Judge Ralph Winkler was to announce Thursday how his court plans to help families of people who are recovering from addiction.
Winkler plans to use the revised version of Casey's Law, which lawmakers in Ohio approved in April.
Casey's Law is named after Kentuckian Matthew "Casey" Wethington, who died from a heroin overdose in 2002. The law "provides a means of intervening with someone who is unable to recognize his or her need for treatment due to their impairment."
The revised version of the law allows family members or other loved ones to intervene in a person's addiction by petitioning the probate court to involuntarily place a person suffering from an addiction into abuse treatment if it appears they are a danger to themselves or others.
"We're going to support you all the way through it," Newtown Police Chief Tom Synan said. "If you fall off, you have that accountability of probate court to say you need to come back."
Ohio's law calls for treatment to last between 90 days and six months, but each county's probate court decides what process to use.
Winkler planned to hold a news conference at 12:30 p.m. Thursday to announce the changes.
