{"id":22713,"date":"2026-11-14T03:15:04","date_gmt":"2026-11-14T03:15:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/robinsoncasey.com\/guides\/involuntary-commitment-addiction\/marchman-act-petition-review-parent-adult-child\/"},"modified":"2026-11-15T03:26:16","modified_gmt":"2026-11-15T03:26:16","slug":"marchman-act-petition-review-parent-adult-child","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/robinsoncasey.com\/guides\/involuntary-commitment-addiction\/marchman-act-petition-review-parent-adult-child\/","title":{"rendered":"Marchman Act Petition Review for Parents in Florida"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Marchman Act Petition Review for Parents in Florida<\/h1>\n

You have spent years paying for treatment, trying interventions, and holding firm boundaries. Your adult child still keeps getting worse. Each overdose, relapse, or arrest pushes you to look for another way.<\/p>\n

A Marchman Act petition asks a Florida court to order assessment and, if the legal criteria are met, treatment for an adult impaired by substance use. This page explains how a Marchman Act petition review works for a parent in Florida, what to gather, and what a court order can and cannot accomplish. Richard J. Casey III, Esq. is the responsible lawyer for this page.<\/p>\n

When Your Adult Child Refuses Treatment and the Crisis Keeps Returning<\/h2>\n

A Marchman Act petition may be worth reviewing when your adult child is impaired by substance use and refuses help. You may fear the next call: an overdose, a jail booking, a shelter bed, or a missing child. Those fears are real, and they are why many families look at the court route.<\/p>\n

Florida’s law sets a clear standard. Fla. Stat. \u00a7 397.675<\/a><\/p>\n

Refusal alone is not enough. The statute says that mere refusal to receive services does not, by itself, show lack of judgment about the need for services. That is why a review focuses on facts, not frustration.<\/p>\n

If you have lost hope that anything will work, you are not alone in that feeling. The law offers a structured path, but no court order promises recovery.<\/p>\n

What a Marchman Act Petition Is and Who It Is For<\/h2>\n

A Marchman Act petition asks a Florida court to order involuntary assessment and, when justified, involuntary treatment. The petition starts a court case in the county where the person is located.<\/p>\n

For an adult, the petition may be filed by a spouse or legal guardian, any relative, a service provider, or an adult with direct personal knowledge of the person’s impairment and prior treatment.<\/p>\n

The Florida Department of Children and Families describes the Marchman Act as a way to assess, stabilize, and treat adults and youth severely impaired by substance abuse. Florida Department of Children and Families<\/a> It fits when the facts show that substance use has taken away your child’s ability to choose help.<\/p>\n

What a Petition Review Covers<\/h2>\n

A petition review checks whether your facts fit the Marchman Act criteria. It also checks whether they are organized clearly enough for a judge to read.<\/p>\n

The petition must name your child, name you as petitioner, and state your relationship. It must also give the reasons behind the request. Fla. Stat. \u00a7 397.68141<\/a> Those reasons include why you believe your child is impaired and has lost self-control.<\/p>\n

Start gathering these items now:<\/p>\n