By VAL VANBROCKLIN
This is a true story. It’s in a file at the Boney Courthouse in Anchorage. On May 2, 2025 the Alaska Supreme Court issued a decision In the Matter of the Necessity for the Hospitalization of Lila B. Lila isn’t her real name, but she is a real person. “The matter” wasn’t just Lila’s “hospitalization.” It was also her jailing and forcible head shaving. None of it was necessary.
A police officer took protective custody of Lila and transported her to jail. The jail knew Lila had head lice. She spent six days there before being taken to the Alaska Psychiatric Institute for a 72-hour hold to evaluate whether she met requirements to be committed.
An hour after Lila arrived at API, a state attorney requested a court order to forcibly shave her head. Seventeen minutes later a magistrate convened a hearing in which everyone participated telephonically. Lila’s court appointed attorney learned of the hearing five minutes before it started. The hearing lasted less than an hour.
Two API staff testified: Edward Czech, an RN and admissions screening manager, and Sean Farley, an advanced nurse practitioner with psychiatry expertise. Czech testified a lice shampoo would kill the active head lice but not the eggs, which could hatch in nine or ten days. The shampoo “might not” reach lice embedded in mats in Lila’s hair, and there was no place at API to truly isolate her. Lice could lead to cellulitis, which “at its most extreme … can cause sepsis and death.”
Farley testified that isolating Lila would be stigmatizing and hamper her participation in therapeutic activities. He felt reluctant to be with Lila where an “ectoparasite” could go from her head to his. He believed shaving her head was the least intrusive treatment because she hadn’t cooperated with shampooing. He acknowledged the shaving might be traumatic and require restraining Lila.
Lila testified. One of her objections to having her head shaved was religious. She tried her best to care for her skin and hair but struggled because she was homeless. She had weeping infections from eczema. If they cut off her hair, she’d have to stare at herself in the mirror and remember the day forever. That would be “torture.” She couldn’t understand why API sought to shave her head. She was willing to use the shampoo, she was just trying to take the mats out of her hair first. She never refused shampoo treatment. API staff was miscommunicating her position.
A Superior Court judge granted the state’s request and API forcibly shaved Lila’s head. Ten days later she was released when the court concluded she didn’t meet commitment criteria.
The Alaska Supreme Court decided Lila’s forcible head shaving was “error.” The justices concluded the judge shouldn’t have granted the order because the state failed to prove “by clear and convincing evidence that shaving Lila’s head was the least restrictive means of treating her lice infestation.”
Lila’s forcible head shaving should never have happened. Two things dictate that besides the law—common sense and compassion. Both were lacking in Lila’s case.
First, common sense. After Lila’s coherent testimony, why did no one ask her what she thought was a reasonable amount of time to let her work on her mats before trying the shampoo? Also, head lice can’t jump or fly. They don’t carry disease. They’re not considered a public health hazard. There was no need to isolate Lila or shave her head. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Farley and others could have been protected by not touching Lila’s head, not using her hair grooming tools, and not sharing her clothing or bedding. That’s how the Anchorage School District handles lice. Their policy specifically calls for not isolating kids.
Czech’s portrayal of the situation as life and death was absurd. The jail didn’t address Lila’s lice for six days. She was on a 72-hour hold. No one was going to get sepsis and die during that time. Google death from head lice. It generally takes years of neglect.
Farley’s testimony about isolation and its stigma interfering with Lila’s psychiatric treatment was equally absurd. Her 72-hour hold for evaluation meant she might be released with no treatment, which happened. What about the stigma outside of API from a shaved head with weeping sores? If Lila had remained at API, what impact on her mental health might the trauma, stigma, and violation of her religious beliefs from her forcibly shaved head have?
The state’s attorney, whose job isn’t to be API’s lackey, should never have sought to forcibly shave Lila’s head given her 72-hour evaluation hold and that she’d only been there an hour trying to get her mats untangled before shampooing. If she got committed for treatment, shaving could be revisited.
It was nonsensical for the Superior Court judge to issue the order. She’d previously represented Alaskans in commitment proceedings as an Assistant Public Defender. She understood the head shaving could be revisited after the evaluation, if Lila was committed. API’s and the state’s attorney’s absurdity didn’t relieve her of her duty to safeguard Lila’s rights.
The other thing lacking was compassion. The state’s attorney and judge never saw Lila or her hair during the telephonic hearing. They also failed to see her as a human being deserving of compassion.
Lila’s forcible head shaving wasn’t life or death. It wasn’t about protecting her from interference in treatment she never received. It was API’s preference for the quickest, easiest way to manage head lice. Our state Supreme Court has recognized API has interests in institutional stability and economic considerations that can conflict with patients’ wishes and the law. That’s what happened here, and API’s interests won.
The Alaska Supreme Court has fostered this lack of common sense and compassion for Alaskans with mental illness, and the continued violation of their constitutional and human rights. Lila’s head shaving wasn’t the only “error” in this story. She was illegally detained.
Over a decade ago, the Alaska Supreme Court ruled that persons committed 72 hours for evaluation must be transported “immediately” to an evaluation facility and, if that’s not possible, the evaluation must take place without delay where they are being held. I’ve written before about the state Supreme Court repeatedly telling Superior Courts they must adhere to these laws—and the Superior Courts failing to do so.
Lila spent six days in jail and ten days in API for a 72-hour evaluation hold. Neither the Superior nor Supreme Court paid any attention.
Lisa would have had more rights if she’d committed a crime.
To the state’s attorney, the judge, and the justices in Lila’s case, I urge you to examine your lack of common sense and compassion, as well as your disregard of state statutes and the Alaska Constitution.
To Lila, I am sorry, ashamed, and angry. You deserved more. The Alaska Supreme Court acknowledging that what was done to you was “error” is too little, too late. May your suffering not be in vain, as too many cases before yours have been.
Val Van Brocklin was a senior trial attorney with the Anchorage District Attorney’s Office before she was asked to join the state’s Office of Special Prosecution and Appeals, where she had statewide responsibility for cases so complex they required specialized investigative and prosecution efforts. She was then recruited by the U.S. Attorney’s Office to prosecute complex white collar crime, for which she received the FBI’s commendation. Now she is an author, international speaker, and trainer whose work has been featured on ABC and Discovery. More about Val at this link.
Sad she lost her hair.
1. How did she end up in jail?
2. What mental care is this lady receiving now?
3. Does this lady want help to get off the street?
4. Where is this lady today?
5. What is the future of this lady going forward?
Compassion coming from a lawyer perspective on the legality of an act committed by Public Health workers is one to take pause. Especially when the act was blessed by Judges. Not to trivialize losing your hair, but are we missing the big picture. This article as with most legal stories focuses on minimum edges of a problem without getting to the root cause. No where in the story is there a real solution to this desperate persons life. Only a legal bitch session about coulda, woulda, shoulda.
Then people wonder why the Bum/Street people in Anchorage are out of control.
It sounds like the poor woman has a good case for a lawsuit. I hope a good lawyer will do it pro-bono.
I have a hard time believing that Lila was willing to use shampoo at all. After dealing with so many with mental health needs, I am sure she was way more a problem that what was let on by this attorney.
It’s amazing how the need of the one who has mental health problems outweigh the needs of society and society needs to put up with way more than the average person puts on the system. Attorneys make all of these people sound so much more rational than when the occurrence is happening. A big pass with this problem.
How big of deal should be made of this? Let’s be realistic, its a closely confined population. No court order should be needed in a matter like this. Sure, lice don’t carry disease; but they are a disease in their own right; a disease nobody in an institution should be exposed to. A shaved head may not be attractive on most women but it does no true harm. Furthermore, in two months it is only a short hairstyle. This article blows the situation out of proportion.
And if her hair was thick…with RATTED MATTS and weeping sores…UGH! It’s hard to UN-RAT my THIN hair on a good day when I’m functioning optimally…. WHAT THEY SHOULDA DONE AFTERWARDS was provide some cool headwear/head coverings/hats/WIG OPTION/S for her!!!!! And some moolah!
Some time ago, I tried to help the adult daughter of a friend whose hair was EXTREMELY matted due to homelessness and neglect. I struggled to un mat her hair all afternoon. Trying detangler products, even trying olive oil to detangle. Finally had to give up and her hair had to be cut REALLY short to remove the mats.
My friends daughter did not have lice, thank goodness, because if she had, I spent hours working with her hair and would have most likely gotten a louse on me.
I can relate to the facility opting to choose shaving as a means to eliminate the lice. I am sure Lila was not happy, but lice treatment on open sores is not a good option as it is harsh, and with a shaved head her sores could be better treated.
Homeless fatigue.
Her hair was matted, she wasn’t cooperating with shampooing, it’s not fair to endanger staff and other inmates because you made poor life choices.
Shaved her head, duh.
No one cares.
Homeless fatigue – it’s time to stop showing these people any deference.
Great story—-Needed to be told. What ever happened to the Principal in the Valley, arrested by a vague warrant?
Another tragedy here is the failure or rather the sabotage of the mental health system itself in the last 30 years and I may be another decade or so off on that timeline. The majority of these people have been shuffled through more than once without any significant improvements over time. But that’s a different story that has nothing to do with the way this case was handled.
This is a serious bleeding heart story. I’m not sure about lice not being able to “hop”. Over 50 years ago, my daughter came home from kindergarten with a “lice note”. I was conscientious about hygiene and hair washing so I was in a panic. I couldn’t find anything and went by the school to talk to the nurse. She said there were only a very few nits (eggs) behind her ear where the hair was thick but no adult lice and she could see that my Nancy had clean hair. The nurse laughed and said, yeah the little girl who was “the carrier” had them REALLY bad and you could see them crawling all over her shoulders. EVERY single kid in the class had evidence of lice! They transferred in SOME way! I wouldn’t want to go near anyone that had them either! I think head shaving was a great solution.
There are serious things for me to worry about – this is not one of them.
Right.
Homeless fatigue.
No one cares.
Time to stop showing any mercy to these miscreants.
Everyone who chooses to live outside the social norms is not a miscreant. There was a time in our own great nation when off-beat people were burnt alive as witches. By your own standards will you also be judged. Read the good book and try some compassion and rejoice in the few freedoms we have left. Enjoy your stay!
Let me guess.
You took the Covid experimental gene therapy shot?
Case closed.
Thx
Well there went a couple minutes of my life that I’ll never get back. That you hope to monetize a lunatic’s lice is not newsworthy. You should also consider becoming better at what you do such that you don’t need to exploit the mentally ill.
Be that as it may, I shaved my head this morning. How much you think we can get?
Make the pie higher and we’ll talk.
“How ANC School District handles lice” …. Really? API is not the School District, it is an insane asylum.
“stigma outside of API from a shaved head” …. Because no one ever wore a hat until their hair grew back?
This woman sounds like the ACLU lawyers, social workers & judges that insist our free society become less free as they order us to cater to the whims & wishes of the addicted & insane; a population that challenge us all: government employees, family & neighbors
The insane are obvious on our streets, but allowed to carry on because of their “rights”
Of course API should use the “quickest & easiest” solution for head lice; it’s an institution that takes care of vulnerable & unstable clients and it’s not easy working there.
Why did a cop bring her to jail for “protective custody”?
Next time leave her be, wouldn’t want to do anything to infringe her “rights”
How did the lady with head lice hurt you? Show me on the doll.
Replace a judge having your head shaved with the Covid jab……..or the next plandemic…..bah, bah, bah….
Exactly. Freedom baby.
Ask Mary Fulp.
Not impressed Val, you fail to mention most of the reasoning behind the whole incident. Those unanswered questions scream “spin”. We can start with “why is Lila homeless.” Homeless fatigue is a thing. She might have been spreading lice throughout the homeless population by personal contact – we just don’t know… Trying to get me to think of how awful the mental health system is and have some sympathy for what happened here simply fails. It was lawyers who broke the back of asylums for those who were not capable of caring for themselves due to mental illness, resulting in a significant portion of our homeless population – and you want us to see the legal perspective? YOU are the problem.
So freedom is a lost concept to you? While you clutch your pearls and bemoan the loss of civility and decorum in society, ask yourself what you do that might seem anti-social to others. As a matter of fact use me as your judge. This will be fun.
My name is Faith J. Myers. I am the author of the book, “Going Crazy in Alaska.”
I spent over 200 days in locked psychiatric facilities and units. From my experience, people that develop a mental illness and are locked in a psychiatric facility are treated as less than something human.
A person in a locked psychiatric facility, their rights, according to laws and regulations, must remain intact to the greatest extent possible. –it is not happening in Alaska. Five Justices of the Alaska Supreme Court ruled that API was wrong in their decision in forcibly shaving Lila’s head.
The 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act was supposed to give better conditions for people in locked facilities, but it is not happening in Alaska.
Numerous laws that have been passed to protect psychiatric patients in locked facilities, have no enforcement mechanism–and psychiatric facilities seeking convenience and economic advantages, do not write policies to follow the laws. And there is no state agencies to force them to do so.
I would just ask the general public to ask their legislators to improve the protection and enforcement laws for people in locked psychiatric facilities.
Thank you so much for writing this Val.
The indifference to people who are psychiatrically incarcerated is pervasive with terrible results. Court ordered psychiatric imprisonment and forced drugging lead the way to horrific outcomes: (1) Reducing the recovery rate from a possible 80% to 5%, (2) astronomically increasing suicides, (3) reducing life spans by 20-25 years, all the while (4) catastrophically diminishing people’s quality of life. See the Report on Improving Mental Health Outcomes. ‘https://psychrights.org/ReportOnImprovingMentalHealthOutcomes.pdf
The victim needs a good attorney to sue the he// out of the state and get the judge, police and API staff fired and paying the victim.
I am not at all in favor of greater tolerance for the homeless. My opinion is that the 5?? % of the homeless who are where they are based solely on outside effects is not justification to impose the burden on the taxpayers for the other 95% who are where they are either by choice or consequence of choice. I further believe that much of the current homeless conduct (i.e. occupying public space, traffic violations, shoplifting, other property theft, etc) should either be criminalized (if not already) or have increased penalties and greatly increased enforcement.
I also have the view that the head shaving is not as catastrophic as the article would have us believe.
….however, all that being said, nevertheless, I’m very concerned about the awesome power of the State being used for “involuntary commitment” or “commitment for evaluation” or something similar. Shaving? Head Lice? Minor issue either way you look at it. Granting the State the right for involuntary commitment, even for a short period (particularly if based on untested or untried allegations of LEO or other citizen) should cause all of us to rise up and question this application of government might.
How important is it to prioritize the hair style of someone whom’s normal coif is a lice infested pile of sores, filth and tangles? An expedient return to health is the first order rather than that the pt remain as close to status quo as possible, particularly w/ the mentally ill homeless population.
Toss her a ball cap, tell her she’s Sinead O’Connor for the month and then go fix another one.
There is no more indignity in having your head shaved for treatment than there is indignity in having to wear a cast for a broken arm. You aren’t expected to enjoy either.