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Article: Forensic provisions of the Mental Health Act 2000 (Qld).
- Article from:
- Psychiatry, Psychology and Law
- Article date:
- November 1, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Australian Academic Press Pty. Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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In 2002, the most modern and arguably most innovative mental health legislation in Australia--the Mental Health Act 2000 (Qld)--came into effect in Queensland. The Queensland jurisdiction is unique in grafting procedural provisions and definitions from mental health legislation onto The Criminal Code and providing for a determination of both fitness for trial and criminal responsibility by a superior court judge, rather than a jury. In 2006, after increasingly vociferous media criticism and calls to abolish the relevant legislation, the state government announced the terms of reference of a review of the Mental Health Act 2000. This article considers the forensic ...