Mental Health Courts, Court Diversion, and Canada's Obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Publication: Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health
12 March 2014
Abstract
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) is often recognized as emphasizing a “universalist” approach to difference that discourages the identification and segregation of particular groups based on their characteristics. This emphasis raises questions about Canada's Mental Health Courts (MHCs) and court-diversion programs that identify and respond to people with mental disabilities as a group and can be seen to reflect a “minority rights” approach to the accommodation of difference. These questions need to be addressed to ensure that Canada complies with its international obligations under the CRPD.
Résumé
On constate généralement que la Convention relative aux droits des personnes handicapées de l'Organisation des Nations Unies souligne une approche « universaliste » des différences, c'est-à-dire une approche qui défavorise l'identification et la ségrégation des groupes spécifiques à cause de leurs caractéristiques. Par contre, les tribunaux de la santé mentale et les programmes de déjudiciarisation canadiens identifient et traitent les personnes ayant un handicap mental en tant que groupe, et on peut caractériser leur approche comme celle axée sur les « droits des minorités ». Par conséquent, il y a des questions relatives à l'approche canadienne, et il faut aborder ces questions afin d'assurer le respect du Canada de ses obligations internationales qui découlent de la Convention relative aux droits des personnes handicapées.
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Published In
Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health
Volume 32 • Number 4 • December 2013
Pages: 43 - 57
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Version of record online: 12 March 2014
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FerrazziPriscilla, KrupaTerry, and LysaghtRosemary. 2013. Mental Health Courts, Court Diversion, and Canada's Obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health.
32(4): 43-57. https://doi.org/10.7870/cjcmh-2013-030
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