Minding the Gap: The Absence of Pennsylvania's Involuntary Commitment Data

An involuntary commitment is a rights-restrictive procedure that is rarely afforded visibility through useful data. Pennsylvania is a nationally relevant case study on the promises, perils, and misconceptions surrounding involuntary commitment data. In this study, we survey the minimal available Pennsylvania data and then contextualize our results within state laws and norms by (1) framing involuntary commitment data within the state's gun control agenda, (2) implementing the language of undone science, agnotology, and visibility, and (3) discussing the rights and social obligations surrounding privacy, confidentiality, and dangerousness. We find that sensitive administrative data is collected at several points during the involuntary commitment process but is rarely available in a useful, de-identified form. Improved access to useful data about the commitment population would close a major gap in state and national healthcare delivery, policy, and accountability.