NCJ Number
114604
Date Published
1988
Length
169 pages
Annotation
This report examines Canadian policies and Federal law related to mental health services for Federal penitentiary inmates, discusses general issues related to the needs of mentally ill offenders, and recommends legislative and policy changes.
Abstract
The analysis notes that about 15 percent of the Federal prison population suffers from serious acute or chronic psychiatric illnesses. It examines legal issues related to the nature and scope of a right to treatment, the right to refuse treatment, force feeding, transfers of mentally ill Federal inmates to provincial health facilities, confidentiality of medical records, the patient's right to know what is in the file, and the changes that would be needed in laws or regulations to assure that offender mental health needs are considered at each stage of the correctional process. The analysis concludes that the provision of mental health services should be required by Federal law and that an increased commitment of resources will be required to provide the services needed. Reference notes and appended list of additional proposed working papers of the Correctional Law Review, descriptions of different mental disorders, and related materials.