Involuntary Civil Commitment for Substance Use Disorders in Puerto Rico: Neglected Rights Violations and Implications for Legal Reform.
Health Hum Rights
; 24(2): 59-70, 2022 Dec.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-36579313
ABSTRACT
Laws facilitating the involuntary civil commitment (ICC) of people with substance use disorders vary considerably internationally and across the United States. Puerto Rico, a colonial territory of the United States since 1898, currently harbors the most punitive ICC legislation in the country. It is the only place in the United States where self-sufficient adults who pose no grave danger to themselves or others can be involuntarily committed to restrictive residential facilities for over a year at a time without ever being assessed by a health care professional. The involuntary commitment of otherwise-able citizens-many of whom have never been diagnosed with a substance use disorder-continues to be ignored nationally and internationally. In this paper, we specify how Puerto Rican ICC law and procedures systematically violate rights and liberties that are supposed to be guaranteed by Puerto Rico's Mental Health Act, the US Federal Supreme Court, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. To ensure that Puerto Rico's ICC procedures conform to prevailing local, national, and international standards, we propose a series of legislative reforms. Finally, we highlight the importance of addressing the preponderance of poorly constructed ICC laws both within the United States and internationally.
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Transtornos Relacionados ao Uso de Substâncias
/
Internação Involuntária
Tipo de estudo:
Guideline
Limite:
Adult
/
Humans
País como assunto:
America do norte
/
Caribe
/
Puerto rico
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2022
Tipo de documento:
Article