I haven't been following all the ins and outs of Britney's situation, but I believe all that escorting business was due to the out of control media attention and not directly relating to whether Britney was going in under a Section 5150 of the CA Welfare and Institutions Code.
Section 5150 is the code which allows peace officers and mental health professionals to take a person who is a danger to him/herself or others into custody for the purposes of evaluation and treatment for a period up to 72 hours.
Section 5152 states how a person can be released before the 72 period is up.
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/cacodes/wic/5150-5157.htmlVoluntary admission is under s 6000 which states a patient may request to leave following the regular departure process. However, in Britney's case if her father is her conservator then that notice should have come from him.
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/cacodes/wic/6000-6008.htmlI work with children and not adults here and I am appalled at the mental health services available. Mobile crisis units would be a major step forward with how young people and families receive crisis intervention.