LECTURE NOTES - Chapter 18

Criminal Commitment

A procedure that may confine a person in a mental institution, often used for determining competency to stand trial or after a verdict of not criminally responsible due to mental disorder.

Civil Commitment

A procedure under provincial law that allows mentally ill people who haven’t committed a crime to be deprived of liberty and incarcerated in a psychiatric hospital.

Insanity Defense

A legal argument asserting that a defendant should not be held responsible for an illegal act due to mental illness affecting rationality.

M’Naghten Rule

A criterion established in 1843 stipulating that to prove insanity, one must show that a person did not understand the nature of the act or did not know it was wrong due to a mental disorder.

Not Criminally Responsible on Account of Mental Disorder (NCRMD)

A legal determination that a person is not criminally responsible for their acts due to a mental disorder at the time of the crime.

Fitness to Stand Trial

The determination of whether a defendant is capable of understanding legal proceedings and communicating effectively with their lawyer.

Community Treatment Orders (CTOs)

Legal directives requiring individuals to comply with prescribed treatment as a condition for being released back into the community.

Hare Psychopathy Checklist Revised (PCL-R)

A psychological assessment tool used to evaluate psychopathy, predicting recidivism, violence, and response to therapy.

Duty to Warn

The legal obligation for therapists to breach confidentiality and inform potential victims when there is a significant risk of harm.

Tarasoff Case

A landmark case establishing the duty of therapists to warn third parties when a client poses a potential risk of harm.

Risk Assessment

The process of evaluating an individual's potential for dangerousness, central to civil commitment decisions.

Actus Reus

The illegal act or conduct that constitutes a criminal offense.

Mens Rea

The mental state or intent to commit a crime, often referred to as 'guilty mind'.

Code of Ethics

Guidelines governing ethical conduct in medical research, including respect for persons, welfare, and justice.

Deinstitutionalization

The process of reducing reliance on institutional care for the mentally ill, often resulting in increased incarceration without adequate support.

Nuremberg Code

A set of research ethics principles for human experimentation resulting from the Nuremberg trials, emphasizing voluntary consent.

Ethics in Research

Standards that ensure that research participants are treated ethically, including informed consent and confidentiality.