Contact Information
320 S. Campbell St
2nd Floor, Suite 200
El Paso, Texas 79901
[view map]
Monday - Friday
8:00am - 5:00pm
Phone (915) 273-3238
Fax (915) 273-3277
Email CountyAttorney@epcountytx.gov
Annex Offices
Downtown Office
320 S. Campbell St
2nd Floor, Suite 200
El Paso, Texas 79901
Phone (915) 273-3238
Monday - Friday
8:00 am to 5:00 pm
Ysleta Annex Office
9521 Socorro Rd. Suite A-3
El Paso, Texas 79927
Phone (915) 273-3467
Fax (915) 273-3842
Monday-Friday
8:30 am to 5:30 pm
Northwest Office
435 E. Vinton Rd., Suite B
Vinton, Texas 79821
Phone (915) 273-3516
Monday-Friday
(Northwest Office by appointment only)
MENTAL HEALTH UNIT
Mental health challenges can affect anyone—and knowing where to turn for help is not always easy.
The El Paso County Attorney’s Mental Health Unit is here to support individuals and families during times of crisis.
Our office represents the State of Texas in civil commitment hearings and assists the public with Emergency Detention Orders (EDOs) for individuals who may need immediate psychiatric evaluation or treatment. These legal tools exist to protect someone’s health and safety—not to punish or arrest them.
If you believe someone is in crisis and may harm themselves or others, you can submit an Application for Emergency Detention Order, or by contacting our office for guidance. We understand this can be a difficult step, and our team is here to walk you through the process with care and respect.
If you have questions about an Emergency Detention Order or other mental health concerns, please contact the Mental Health Unit at 915-273-3238.
You may also reach us through the phone numbers or emails listed below.
If you or someone you know needs urgent mental health support, please contact:
You are not alone - help is available, and support is only a call away.
When someone is experiencing a mental health crisis, there are legal processes in place to help ensure their safety and connect them to treatment.
A person may enter the mental health system when:
· A peace officer believes someone is in immediate danger due to mental illness and takes them for an emergency evaluation, or
· A family member or concerned adult files an Application for Emergency Detention with a judge.
If the judge approves the application, law enforcement will transport the individual to an appropriate facility for evaluation.
Applicants must have firsthand knowledge of the situation.
Once at a facility, the person may be held for up to 48 hours for a preliminary psychiatric evaluation.
If doctors believe more time is needed, the facility may request a short-term protective custody order through the court for continued observation and care.
Patients are first medically stabilized, then transferred to a psychiatric facility for mental health treatment.
Even under an emergency order, patients retain the right to consent to medical treatment when they are able to do so.
If a longer-term involuntary commitment is requested:
· The court appoints an attorney to represent the patient.
· A probable cause hearing is held within 72 hours to decide whether the person should remain in treatment until a final hearing.
· A final commitment hearing may follow, where the judge determines whether further treatment (up to 90 days) is needed. The patient has the right to attend, have an attorney, and request a jury trial.
The treating doctor—not the court—decides when a patient is ready for release.
Before discharge, a social worker or case manager develops a follow-up plan that may include outpatient care, medications, and community support.
Involuntary commitments generally do not apply to minors, except in limited circumstances outlined in state law.
Mental Health FAQ's
When and where are the court hearings?
I believe my adult loved one is acutely mentally ill. How can I get them help?
I am the guardian of an acutely mentally ill ward. How can I get them help?
How can I get a mentally ill minor/ward admitted to a psychiatric facility?
What if a person needs treatment but still has a pending criminal case?
How can I find out if a person is in a psychiatric facility?
Is there a limit to the number of emergency detentions I can request?
Is it allowed to present the paperwork in Spanish?
How can I request training in the involuntary mental health process for my agency?
When and where are the court hearings?
All hearings are held on Mondays and Thursdays beginning at 9:00 via Zoom.
I believe my adult loved one is acutely mentally ill. How can I get them help?
If you believe that someone is, at present, likely to cause serious harm to themselves or others because of their mental illness, you should contact 911. If law enforcement is unable to assist, you may complete an application for Emergency Detention and submit it by email.
To fill out the form please follow the button below:
I am the guardian of an acutely mentally ill ward. How can I get them help?
A guardian has the authority to transport an adult ward to a mental health facility for the purpose of getting a preliminary evaluation. The facility may file an application for an EDO to evaluate the patient longer. If the person is actively attempting suicide or is becoming dangerous, call 911.
How can I get a mentally ill minor/ward admitted to a psychiatric facility?
A parent, managing conservator, or guardian of a minor may consent to the voluntary admission of the child/ward to an inpatient mental health facility.
In Texas a child 16 or older may consent to admission to a hospital.
What if a person needs treatment but still has a pending criminal case?
If an attorney has already been appointed to represent the person in the criminal case, please contact that person and work through them. You may also refer the attorney to the County Attorney’s office to try and coordinate cases. Unless the pending criminal case is for an assault- serious bodily injury, it will not prevent the civil commitment case from going forward.
How can I find out if a person is in a psychiatric facility?
Much information about a mentally ill person who has a case pending is confidential and our office may not be able to release information to you, especially if the patient has told the facility to limit the release of information to certain persons. If the patient gives you their “medical ID number” you may get information directly from the facility about their treatment and verify that they are at the facility.
Is there a limit to the number of emergency detentions I can request?
The court process is available as often as the person meets criteria. You do not have a limit on how often you request help but know that the person must be in imminent harm to qualify for court intervention of this kind.
Is it allowed to present the paperwork in Spanish?
All court papers submitted must be filed in English. There will be a Spanish language interpreter at the court hearings. If you or the patient need assistance with a deaf interpreter or a foreign language interpreter for a language other than Spanish, please advise the office so that arrangements can be made in advance to have those interpreters at the court hearings.
How can I request training in the involuntary mental health process for my agency?
Please contact Michelle Rodriguez, Marisol Nevarez and Carl Jones at emails above.
Mental Health Process
When someone is experiencing a mental health crisis, there are legal processes in place to help ensure their safety and connect them to treatment.A person may enter the mental health system when:
· A peace officer believes someone is in immediate danger due to mental illness and takes them for an emergency evaluation, or
· A family member or concerned adult files an Application for Emergency Detention with a judge.
If the judge approves the application, law enforcement will transport the individual to an appropriate facility for evaluation.
Applicants must have firsthand knowledge of the situation.
Once at a facility, the person may be held for up to 48 hours for a preliminary psychiatric evaluation.
If doctors believe more time is needed, the facility may request a short-term protective custody order through the court for continued observation and care.
Patients are first medically stabilized, then transferred to a psychiatric facility for mental health treatment.
Even under an emergency order, patients retain the right to consent to medical treatment when they are able to do so.
If a longer-term involuntary commitment is requested:
· The court appoints an attorney to represent the patient.
· A probable cause hearing is held within 72 hours to decide whether the person should remain in treatment until a final hearing.
· A final commitment hearing may follow, where the judge determines whether further treatment (up to 90 days) is needed.
The patient has the right to attend, have an attorney, and request a jury trial.
The treating doctor—not the court—decides when a patient is ready for release.
Before discharge, a social worker or case manager develops a follow-up plan that may include outpatient care, medications, and community support.
Involuntary commitments generally do not apply to minors, except in limited circumstances outlined in state law.
