Involuntary Civil Commitment for Substance Use Disorders in Puerto Rico: Neglected Rights Violations and Implications for Legal Reform
Laws facilitating the involuntary civil commitment (ICC) of people with substance use disorders vary considerably internationally and across the United States. Puerto Rico, a colonial territory of the United States since 1898, currently harbors the most punitive ICC legislation in the country. It is...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Harvard FXB Center for Health and Human Rights
2020-12-01
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| Series: | Health and Human Rights |
| Online Access: | https://cdn1.sph.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/2469/2022/12/parker.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797976976895508480 |
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| author | Caroline M. Parker Oscar E. Miranda-Miller Carmen Albizu-García |
| author_facet | Caroline M. Parker Oscar E. Miranda-Miller Carmen Albizu-García |
| author_sort | Caroline M. Parker |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Laws facilitating the involuntary civil commitment (ICC) of people with substance use disorders vary considerably internationally and across the United States. Puerto Rico, a colonial territory of the United States since 1898, currently harbors the most punitive ICC legislation in the country. It is the only place in the United States where self-sufficient adults who pose no grave danger to themselves or others can be involuntarily committed to restrictive residential facilities for over a year at a time without ever being assessed by a health care professional. The involuntary commitment of otherwise-able citizens—many of whom have never been diagnosed with a substance use disorder—continues to be ignored nationally and internationally. In this paper, we specify how Puerto Rican ICC law and procedures systematically violate rights and liberties that are supposed to be guaranteed by Puerto Rico’s Mental Health Act, the US Federal Supreme Court, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. To ensure that Puerto Rico’s ICC procedures conform to prevailing local, national, and international standards, we propose a series of legislative reforms. Finally, we highlight the importance of addressing the preponderance of poorly constructed ICC laws both within the United States and internationally. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T04:59:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2ef25a98d7cb4e91938aa28f6eca0a59 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2150-4113 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T04:59:36Z |
| publishDate | 2020-12-01 |
| publisher | Harvard FXB Center for Health and Human Rights |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Health and Human Rights |
| spelling | doaj.art-2ef25a98d7cb4e91938aa28f6eca0a592022-12-26T03:13:12ZengHarvard FXB Center for Health and Human RightsHealth and Human Rights2150-41132020-12-012425970Involuntary Civil Commitment for Substance Use Disorders in Puerto Rico: Neglected Rights Violations and Implications for Legal ReformCaroline M. Parker0Oscar E. Miranda-MillerCarmen Albizu-GarcíaA presidential fellow of medical anthropology at the Department of Social Anthropology at the University of Manchester, United Kingdom.Laws facilitating the involuntary civil commitment (ICC) of people with substance use disorders vary considerably internationally and across the United States. Puerto Rico, a colonial territory of the United States since 1898, currently harbors the most punitive ICC legislation in the country. It is the only place in the United States where self-sufficient adults who pose no grave danger to themselves or others can be involuntarily committed to restrictive residential facilities for over a year at a time without ever being assessed by a health care professional. The involuntary commitment of otherwise-able citizens—many of whom have never been diagnosed with a substance use disorder—continues to be ignored nationally and internationally. In this paper, we specify how Puerto Rican ICC law and procedures systematically violate rights and liberties that are supposed to be guaranteed by Puerto Rico’s Mental Health Act, the US Federal Supreme Court, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. To ensure that Puerto Rico’s ICC procedures conform to prevailing local, national, and international standards, we propose a series of legislative reforms. Finally, we highlight the importance of addressing the preponderance of poorly constructed ICC laws both within the United States and internationally.https://cdn1.sph.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/2469/2022/12/parker.pdf |
| spellingShingle | Caroline M. Parker Oscar E. Miranda-Miller Carmen Albizu-García Involuntary Civil Commitment for Substance Use Disorders in Puerto Rico: Neglected Rights Violations and Implications for Legal Reform Health and Human Rights |
| title | Involuntary Civil Commitment for Substance Use Disorders in Puerto Rico: Neglected Rights Violations and Implications for Legal Reform |
| title_full | Involuntary Civil Commitment for Substance Use Disorders in Puerto Rico: Neglected Rights Violations and Implications for Legal Reform |
| title_fullStr | Involuntary Civil Commitment for Substance Use Disorders in Puerto Rico: Neglected Rights Violations and Implications for Legal Reform |
| title_full_unstemmed | Involuntary Civil Commitment for Substance Use Disorders in Puerto Rico: Neglected Rights Violations and Implications for Legal Reform |
| title_short | Involuntary Civil Commitment for Substance Use Disorders in Puerto Rico: Neglected Rights Violations and Implications for Legal Reform |
| title_sort | involuntary civil commitment for substance use disorders in puerto rico neglected rights violations and implications for legal reform |
| url | https://cdn1.sph.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/2469/2022/12/parker.pdf |
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