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Suicide in young persons
Author(s) -
Halasz G.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1988.tb104492.x
Subject(s) - citation , psychology , library science , computer science
system" and sought to understand disparities in sentencing by judges.' They examined combinations of court personnel (police, lawyers and judicial officers); their strategy provides one model for an empirical analysis to be undertaken of the relative contributions that are made by psychiatric services(that is, requested order), patient characteristics, legal representatives (that is, advocacy factors) and magisterial characteristics to the present disparities. The previously anecdotally-observed disparities in the effecting of orders have been of concern to psychiatrists for some time. Dr Henry Brodaty, Superintendent of The Prince Henry Psychiatry Unit, has recommended a number of strategies to the DeputyChief Stipendiary Magistrate, including vignette-assisted training of common "cases" to ensure some standardization in magisterial orders. Until now, changes in mental-health legislation would appear to have resulted in a focus on the formalizing of strict legal criteria for detention; this limits the interest in, or concern about, any need for the special training of magistrates in the complexities of mental illness, which appear to be learned over time "in the field". Clearly, the present situation is unsatisfactory, in that it leaves doubt that a patient's admission to a particular hospital will influence the length of the magistrate's order. The extent to whichclinical and non-clinical factors account for the defined disparities requires close attention. Gordon Parker, MD Professor. School of Psychiatry The University of New South Wales and Director of Psychiatry The Prince of Wales and The Prince Henry Hospitals High and Avoca Streets, Randwick, NSW 2031 1. Silove D, Doutney C, Pollock C. The contest between psychiatrists and lawyers over involuntary detention. The effects of recent changes in mental health legislation in New South Wales. Aust NZ J Psychiatry 1986; 20: 294-302. 2. Anonymous. MHAS statistics (March, 1986-June, 1987). Mental Health Advocacy News 1987 Sop: 1-3. 3. Vinson T, Cooney G, Caroll M, et aJ. Accountability and the legal system: drug cases terminating in the District Court, 1980-82. Report to The Criminology Research Council. Sydney: School of Social Work, The University of New South Wales, 1987.