LAW397 Mental Health Law is on offer in Trimester 3. Enrol now and study with Yega Muthu from #UNELaw.
The law relating to mental health is an important subset of medical law. Students will examine the paradigms of mental illness and of mental health law. The course will consider both the ‘medical approach’ and the anti-psychiatry movement. Topics include – admission to hospital (voluntary and involuntary), legal framework of treatment for mental disorder without consent and discharge from hospital into the community.
In the wake of notorious crimes, such as those committed by Jessica Camilleri and Mert Ney, the gaze of the media is often cast upon mentally disordered offenders, fuelling public concern about the risk that such individuals pose to the community. The course considers how such offenders may be diverted from the criminal system into hospital care pursuant to the Mental Health (Forensic Provisions) Act 1990 and the sentencing options following conviction.
The NSW Mental Health Act (2007) establishes the legislative framework within which care and treatment can be provided for persons with a mental illness in NSW. Students will look at the challenges ahead for mental health law, explore policy and the role of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (signed in 2007 and ratified by Australia in 2008). Possible legal reforms will be discussed.
Enrolment for Trimester 3 is now open.
LAW unit offerings – https://www.une.edu.au/about-une/faculty-of-science-agriculture-business-and-law/school-of-law/current-students/law-unit-offerings
