Correctional Services - Medication Review Committee - Administration of Psychotropic Medication to an Incarcerated Individual

HB 779 creates a medication review committee within Maryland's state correctional facilities to evaluate requests for administering psychotropic medication (medication for mental health conditions) to incarcerated individuals who refuse it. The bill prohibits non-emergency forced medication unless a committee approves it after confirming the refusal was documented, alternative treatments were attempted, and the medication is clinically necessary. Incarcerated individuals affected by this process gain specific rights, including attending committee meetings (except deliberations), presenting evidence, requesting a lay advisor for support, and receiving clear information about their diagnosis and the medication's risks and benefits. The committee must include a chief psychiatrist, another psychiatrist, and a non-physician mental health professional, and the policy applies only to Maryland state correctional facilities.