犯罪心理学7.pdfVIP

Chapter 7 Civil Committment Kathleen Powers Stafford, Ph.D., ABPP Psycho-Diagnostic Clinic, Akron, OH 1. INTRODUCTION Civil commitment, or court-ordered involuntary treatment of people with mental disorders, raises a number of legal, systems, ethical, and clinical issues. The forensic assessment of an individuals appropriateness for civil commitment requires integrated knowledge of these four areas. First, the psychologist must understand the legal history and standards, and the specific psycho-legal questions that need to be addressed. Second, the psychologist must be familiar with specific mental health delivery systems, which determine the available treatment alternatives and their relative effectiveness. Third, knowledge of the clinical and scientific basis for addressing the psycho-legal questions raised by civil commitment law is essential. And finally, the psychologist must carefully weigh the competing ethical and value issues pertaining to the civil commitment of an individual. This chapter summarizes each of these areas in an effort to guide the clinician in making reasoned assessments of an individuals need for involuntary mental health treatment. 143 144 Chapter 7 2. LEGAL HISTORY AND STANDARDS 2.1 Commitment in the United States through the Mid- Twentieth Century In colonial America, individuals considered violent and insane were incarcerated, but those presenting with equally unusual behavior and thinking who appeared harmless were left free, regardless of their ability to care for themselves. In the late eighteenth and