Elizabeth K. Dollard Professor of Psychiatry, Medicine and Law, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York City.
Psychiatr Serv. 2019 Apr 1;70(4):350-352. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.201900060. Epub 2019 Mar 7.
What degree of responsibility do universities have to prevent student suicide or violence on campus? This question was the focus of two recent state supreme court decisions, in Massachusetts and in California. Looking to legal rules that define when duties exist to protect third parties, both courts held that the unique aspects of the campus setting create a responsibility for universities to take reasonable steps to protect students from themselves and each other. Widening the scope of institutional liability in this way could encourage schools to overreact to students with mental health problems, making them less likely to come forward for treatment.
大学在防止校园内学生自杀或暴力事件方面负有多大责任？这个问题是最近马萨诸塞州和加利福尼亚州两个州最高法院判决的焦点。这两个法院都在寻找界定保护第三方责任的法律规则，他们认为校园环境的独特性使大学有责任采取合理措施保护学生免受自身和他人的伤害。以这种方式扩大机构责任范围可能会鼓励学校对有心理健康问题的学生反应过度，使他们更不愿意寻求治疗。
