Theris’ Law

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Hi, my name is Theris Coats, Sr.

I lost my son, Theris Lee Coats II, in San Francisco County Jail — not because we didn’t see the signs, but because I was legally blocked from helping him get the care he needed.

Theris Lee Coats II and Theris Coats, Sr.

He struggled with mental illness and addiction. We saw the danger. We pleaded for support.

But the law told us you’re not allowed in and you’re not authorized to help.

By the time the system responded, it was already too late.

That’s why we’re fighting for something called Theris’ Law.

So, What is Theris’ Law?

Theris’ Law is a local policy that would allow families to act before a crisis turns deadly, by doing three things:

  1. A licensed doctor or mental health professional confirms the person is too impaired to make safe decisions.

  2. A close family member is temporarily allowed limited access to information—just enough to help.

  3. The family can request short-term conservatorship, with a court’s approval, to get their loved one into treatment.

This is not about taking away rights—it’s about creating a path for compassionate intervention when a life is at risk. It’s about giving families a chance to act before the jail cell, before the overdose, before the obituary. We’re calling on San Francisco’s leaders to support this policy—and we’re asking our community to stand with us.


The Legal Imbalance Ending Lives:

Why We Stand for Theris’ Law

In her seminal legal piece Is California Committed?, legal scholar Andrea Reynoso highlights a central dilemma:

“Inherent in this intersection of law and mental health is the delicate balance between preserving liberty and autonomy interests on the one hand, and providing for individual and societal safety on the other.”


For decades, California’s legal system has tipped this balance too far toward non-intervention. Under the guise of “protecting autonomy,” the system stands by while individuals suffering from severe psychiatric illness and severe addiction deteriorate in plain sight.

When my son, TC, was battling mental illness and severe addiction, the system hid behind this exact shield of “protecting his autonomy”—leaving him without the structured intervention he desperately needed until he was placed in a jail cell, where he ultimately lost his life.

That is not liberty. That is neglect.

Brothers Against Drug Deaths (BADD) was founded to correct this fatal imbalance through Theris’ Law.

Theris’ Law asserts a fundamental truth: True civil liberty cannot exist without life, health, and mind stability.


Our position is clear:

Treatment is a Civil Right

Severe addiction and psychosis strip away a person's free agency. Pre-crisis legal intervention does not take away liberty; it restores the mental clarity required to exercise true freedom.

Family-Led Intervention

Families should not have to wait for an arrest, incarceration, or a fatal overdose to get help. Theris’ Law establishes a direct, family-led legal pathway to intervene before a loved one enters the criminal justice system.

Healing Over Punishment

We must replace jail cells and booking rooms with clinical stabilization, court-supported outpatient treatment, and long-term recovery pathways.

We are turning pain into purpose so that no other family has to watch the law prioritize a loved one's “right to suffer” over their right to live.