Conn. Gen. Stat. » Title 17a — SOCIAL AND HUMAN SERVICES AND RESOURCES · Chapter 319i — Persons with Psychiatric Disabilities
Connecticut General Statutes

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 17a-544 (2026)

(Formerly Sec. 17-206e). Placement of patient in seclusion or mechanical restraint. Medication not to be used as substitute for habilitation

✓ current as of May 2026
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(a) No patient may be placed involuntarily in seclusion or a mechanical restraint unless necessary because there is imminent physical danger to the patient or others and a physician so orders. A written memorandum of such order, and the reasons therefor, shall be placed in the patient's permanent clinical record within twenty-four hours.

(b) Medication shall not be used as a substitute for an habilitation program.

(1971, P.A. 834, S. 5; P.A. 78-219, S. 2.)

History: P.A. 78-219 clarified provisions re placement of patient in seclusion, required that memorandum re seclusion of patient be included in clinical record within 24 hours and added Subsec. (b); Sec. 17-206e transferred to Sec. 17a-544 in 1991.

Annotation to former section 17-206e:

Cited. 17 CA 130.

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Notes of Decisions
Cited in 3 cases, 2004–2019 · leading case: Wiseman v. Armstrong, 850 A.2d 114 (Conn. 2004).
Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment
Wiseman v. Armstrong, 850 A.2d 114 (Conn. 2004). · cites it 4× “) General Statutes § 17a-544 (a). In comparison, department of correction administrative directive 6.”
Bolmer v. Oliveira, 570 F. Supp. 2d 301 (D. Conn. 2008). “” Second, § 17a-544(a) provides a privilege to place a psychiatric patient into restraints where “necessary because there is imminent physical danger to the patient or others and a physician so orders.”
Doe v. Dept. of Mental Health & Addiction Servs., 204 A.3d 1230 (Conn. App. Ct. 2019). “The court also concluded that the defendants did not violate the specialized treatment plan provision of § 17a-542 by failing to create a treatment plan suitable to Mary Doe's needs, and that the defendants did not violate the proscription of § 17a-544 (b) that "[m]edication…”
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 17a-544(a): 1 case
Bolmer v. Oliveira, 570 F. Supp. 2d 301 (D. Conn. 2008). “” Second, § 17a-544(a) provides a privilege to place a psychiatric patient into restraints where “necessary because there is imminent physical danger to the patient or others and a physician so orders.”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.