Laberge D, Morin D, Robert M
Université du Québec à Montréal.
Can J Commun Ment Health. 1995 Spring;14(1):103-22.
Psychiatry and criminal justice have been closely related for a long time. Traces of such ties can already be found during the 19th century through the establishment of the contemporary systems of social control. Various questions that will mark the development of policies in this domain were important objects of discussion and analysis: Is mental illness a cause of criminality? Should the "insane" be held responsible for their crimes? What are the appropriate measures to heal, reform, control? In other words, should we consider the individual as sick or as criminal? If these questions are formulated differently nowadays they haven't lost any of their relevance. In this article, we will briefly present the forms of intervention available to the criminal justice system when dealing with persons suffering from mental health problems. This presentation is based on recent studies conducted in Montreal, elsewhere in Canada, as well as in the United States. The main stages of the criminal justice process will be examined, taking into account the recent modifications to the Canadian Criminal Code and its impact on the relations between the courts and psychiatric facilities. This type of situation is not without impact on community mental health for two main reasons. First, with the diminishing public funding of various health services there seems to be a growing practice of criminalization of persons suffering from mental health problems, especially the most vulnerable segments of this population. Secondly, there is a growing trend, in the criminal justice system, of requiring support from community groups or facilities to deal with these criminalized individuals. In the coming years criminalization will constitute an increasing and complex challenge for community mental health.
长期以来，精神病学与刑事司法一直紧密相关。通过当代社会控制体系的建立，这种联系的痕迹在19世纪就已可见。标志着该领域政策发展的各种问题是讨论和分析的重要对象：精神疾病是犯罪的原因吗？“精神错乱者”是否应对其罪行负责？治疗、改造、控制的适当措施是什么？换句话说，我们应该将个体视为病人还是罪犯？如果这些问题如今的表述有所不同，但其相关性丝毫未减。在本文中，我们将简要介绍刑事司法系统在处理有心理健康问题的人时可用的干预形式。本介绍基于最近在蒙特利尔、加拿大其他地区以及美国进行的研究。将考察刑事司法程序的主要阶段，同时考虑到加拿大《刑法典》最近的修订及其对法院与精神病治疗机构之间关系的影响。这种情况对社区心理健康有两方面的影响。首先，随着各种医疗服务公共资金的减少，对有心理健康问题的人，尤其是该人群中最脆弱的部分进行刑事定罪的做法似乎越来越普遍。其次，刑事司法系统越来越倾向于要求社区团体或机构提供支持，以处理这些被刑事定罪的个体。在未来几年，刑事定罪将给社区心理健康带来日益增加且复杂的挑战。
