[The legal system and health: obstacles and supportive areas for intersectorial action].

Article 8 of the Act Respecting the Protection of Persons Whose Mental State Presents a Danger to Themselves or to Others (Québec, 1997) introduced a new legal framework requiring a linkage between police departments and crisis intervention services to prevent involuntary hospitalizations. Through telephone interviews, observation sessions, and documentary analysis, the authors studied the implementation of article 8 in 16 Québec administrative regions. Results pertain to organizational consequences for the health and police sectors and methods of collaboration between the two sectors. They cast light on the difficulties of implementing article 8 and suggest conditions for the success of initiatives aimed at reducing unjustified recourse to the legal system and hospitalization in cases of persons with mental health problems.