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Mental Health Act 1983

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The Mental Health Act of 1983 (c.20) is an act of the United Kingdom’s Parliament which applies to the residents of England and Wales. The act provides detailed legislation in regards to mental disorders and the main purpose of the act is to make sure persons with mental disorders are provided adequate treatment regardless of consent. The act allows hospitals and correctional personnel the power to assess an individual’s mental health once their ability to consent is in question. Authorities have the right to detain and treat persons against their wishes if they pose a threat to themselves or others. Persons in England and Wales suffering from mental disorders are placed into two categories once deemed harmful, informal and formal; formal patients …show more content…

Under Part III of the law, the Crown Court and/or Magistrate Court can use Section 37/41 of the act as a means of approving a hospital order for treatment. The Mental Health Act of 1983 Part III was enacted in order to ensure public safety of all residents of England and Wales, as well as the safety of individuals suffering from mental disorders. Section 37 states that court has the right to place an individual in the hospital instead of prison, and Section 41 is a restriction order, meaning that release can only be granted by the Secretary of State for Justice. Parliament was aware of the desperate need in regards to growing mental health concerns, and this was the government’s attempt to aide individuals refusing treatment due to mental impairment. This act, along with specific programs were put in place in order to make it possible for mental health sufferers to receive treatment regardless of socio-economic class or criminal …show more content…

The objective of this program is to provide prisoners with an opportunity to gain access to professionals in the mental health field, in addition to possibly gaining knowledge of their diagnosis and obtain positive coping mechanisms. The IAPT program is residual as it focuses on a target population consisting of any adult over the age of eighteen who resides in the United Kingdom. The program wanted to include criminally committed individuals because of the lack of resources and stigma they already face; the IAPT guide states “offenders and their families represent one of the most socially excluded groups in our society, with some of the highest levels of morbidity, in terms of both physical and mental health problems” (Prisoner Mental Health, 2013, pg. 3). The program participants are selected through a screening and referral process, and the benefit of the program is that they are able to continue treatment if they are released from prison. IAPT is funded by the National Health Service but is also partnered with Helplines, an organization that connects individuals with local non-profit organizations, especially when in need of prescriptions (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies, n.p.). Nevertheless, the IAPT program in itself is covered through the country’s health service which provides health care to its residents at no

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