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Articles

The New Actor of Involuntary Hospitalisation in France: The Juge des Libertés et de la Détention (Judge of Freedoms and Detention)

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Pages 769-779 | Published online: 27 Mar 2015
 

Abstract

The practice of involuntary hospitalisation in which the patient is unable to give consent frequently occurs in France and has been legal since 1838. However, two reforms took place in 1990 and 2011. The latter introduced the systematic intervention of the judge of freedoms and detention. This new central actor in psychiatric care under duress was not without disruption to the daily practice of nursing. We propose to describe the theoretical and practical aspects of this new legislation.

Acknowledgment

The authors thank Dianne Sturrock (retired nurse, Hamilton), Katrina Messina (research assistant, St Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton) and Dereck Mclellan (medical student, McMaster University, Hamilton) for their advice.

Notes

1. French Parliament, Loi n 2011-803 du 5 juillet 2011 relative aux droits et à la protection des personnes faisant l’objet de soins psychiatriques et aux modalités de leur prise en charge, JOFR du 6 juillet 2011 [Law No. 2011-803 dated from July 5th, 2011: the right and the protection of people admitted into psychiatric facilities, Official Journal of the French Republic of July 6th, 2011] <http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jopdf/common/jo_pdf.jsp?numJO=0&dateJO=20110706&numTexte=1&pageDebut=11705&pageFin=11718> accessed 23 October 2014.

2. French Parliament, Loi n 2011-803 du 5 juillet 2011 (n 1).

3. French Parliament, Loi n 2008-174 du 25 février 2008 relative à la rétention de sûreté et à la déclaration d’irresponsabilité pénale pour cause de trouble mental, JORF n 0048 du 26 février 2008 [Law No. 2008-174 date from February 25th, 2008: Secure detention of individuals found criminally responsible secondary to a mental disorder, Official Journal of the French Republic of February 26th, 2008], 3266 <http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jopdf/common/jo_pdf.jsp?numJO=0&dateJO=20080226&numTexte=1&pageDebut=03266&pageFin=03272> accessed 23 October 2014.

4. Y Hemery, ‘Une loi fâcheuse’ [The infortunate law] (2011) 87 (6) Information Psychiatrique 451–4; I Montet, ‘La psychiatrie a besoin d’une loi globale, non d’une réforme sécuritaire’ [Psychiatry needs a comprehensive law, not a security reform] Le Monde (4 mars 2011).

5. French Parliament, Loi n 2013-869 du 27 septembre 2013 modifiant certaines dispositions issues de la loi no 2011-803 du 5 juillet 2011 relative aux droits et à la protection des personnes faisant l’objet de soins psychiatriques et aux modalités de leur prise en charge? JORF du 29 septembre 2013 [Law No. 2013-869 date from September 27th, 2013: Modification of some aspects of the Law No. 2011-803, Official Journal of the French Republic of September 29th, 2013] (version consolidée du 30 septembre 2013) <http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do?cidTexte = JORFTEXT000027996629> accessed 23 October 2014.

6. French Republic, Constitution de la République Française du 4 octobre 1958, JORF n 238 du 5 octobre 1958 [French Constitution dated from October 4th, 1958, Official Journal of the French Republic of October 5th, 1958], 9151 (version consolidée au 01 décembre 2009) <http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/Droit-francais/Constitution/Constitution-du-4-octobre-1958> accessed 23 October 2014.

7. French Parliament, Loi n 2011-803 du 5 juillet 2011 (n 1).

8. French Parliament, Loi n 2008-174 du 25 février 2008 (n 3).

9. French Parliament, Loi n 2011-803 du 5 juillet 2011 (n 1).

10. French Parliament, Loi n 2013-869 du 27 septembre 2013 (n 5).

11. French Parliament, Loi n 2011-803 du 5 juillet 2011 (n 1).

12. Décret n 2011-846 du 18 juillet 2011 relatif à la procédure judiciaire de mainlevée ou de contrôle des mesures de soins psychiatriques, JORF du 20 juillet 2011 [Law No. 2011-846 dated from July 18th, 2011: Legal procedures of individuals being detained in psychiatric facilities, Official Journal of the French Republic of July 20th, 2011] <http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jopdf/common/jo_pdf.jsp?numJO=0&dateJO=20110719&numTexte=4&pageDebut=12371&pageFin=12374> accessed 23 October 2014.

13. French Constitutional Council, Décision n 2010-71 QPC du 26 novembre 2010 du Conseil Constitutionnel [Decision No. 2010-71 : Consitutional issue dated from November 26th, 2010] <http://www.conseil-constitutionnel.fr/conseil-constitutionnel/francais/les-decisions/acces-par-date/decisions-depuis-1959/2010/2010-71-qpc/decision-n-2010-71-qpc-du-26-novembre-2010.50790.html> accessed 23 October 2014.

14. French Parliament, Loi n 2011-803 du 5 juillet 2011 (n 1).

15. French Parliament, Loi n 2011-803 du 5 juillet 2011 (n 1).

16. French Parliament, Loi n 2013-869 du 27 septembre 2013 (n 5).

17. Décret n 2011-846 du 18 juillet 2011 (n 12).

18. Décret n 2011-846 du 18 juillet 2011 (n 12).

19. French Parliament, Loi n 2011-803 du 5 juillet 2011 (n 1).

20. Décret n 2011-846 du 18 juillet 2011 (n 12).

21. Décret n 2011-846 du 18 juillet 2011 (n 12).

22. Montet (n 4).

23. D Zagury, ‘La loi sur la psychiatrie est l’indice d’un état qui préfère punir plutôt que guérir’ [This law suggests that the State prefers to punish rather than cure patients] Le Monde (22 mars 2011).

24. Hemery (n 4).

25. M-E Fischer, ‘Initiation à la nouvelle loi relative aux droits et à la protection des personnes faisant l’objet de soins psychiatriques: une interne face à un (dé)compte de (mé)faits moderne’ [The new law addressed the right and the protection of people admitted in psychiatry: skepticism of a psychiatry resident] (2012) 88 (1) Information Psychiatrique 71–2.

26. A Poli, ‘Réforme de la psychiatrie: “chaque établissement interprète le texte à sa façon”’ [Psychiatry reform: each facility has its own interpretation of the law] (propos recueillis par N.C.) (2011) 2726 Actualités Sociales Hebdomadaires 19.

27. Judge of Freedoms and Detention of Tour's Court (France), Rapport du Juge des Libertés et de le Détention à Madame la Présidente du Tribunal de Grande Instance de Tours, février 2012 [Report from the Judge of Freedom and Detention to the Presiding Judge of Tours' Court House (France), February 2012].

28. E Zarifian (ed), Les jardins de la folie [The Gardens of Craziness] (Odile Jacob, Paris 2000).

29. Judge of Freedoms and Detention of Tour's Court (n 27).

30. Judge of Freedoms and Detention of Tour's Court (n 27).

31. Judge of Freedoms and Detention of Tour's Court (n 27).

32. French Ministry of Justice, Bureau des schémas d’organisation, des méthodes et des études, ‘Bilan des réponses au quatrième questionnaire sur la mise en place de la réforme des soins psychiatriques’ [Office of the Organization, Methods and Studies “Results from the 4th survey, since the implementation of the psychiatric care reform] Enquête ‘Réformes des soins psychiatriques’, octobre 2012 <http://www.adesm.fr/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/bilan-du-Minist%C3%A8re-application-justice-loi-5-juillet-2011.pdf> accessed 23 October 2014.

33. French Ministry of Justice (n 32).

34. Appeal's Court of Orléans (France), CA Orléans, ordonnance de main levée de l’hospitalisation complète, n RG 12/00104, 25 mai 2012 [Court decision on legal procedures of release dated from May 25th, 2012].

35. French Ministry of Justice (n 32).

36. C Jonas, ‘L’hospitalisation sans consentement des malades mentaux décidément sous l’œil du Conseil constitutionnel’ (Commentaire de la décision n 2012-235 QPC du 20 avril 2012) [Hospitalization of mentally ill without consent decidedly under the eye of the Consitutional Council (Commentary on the Decision No. 2012-235 of April 20, 2012 QPC)] (2012) 2012 (117) Médecine & Droit 179–81.

37. MZ Abramowitz, D Bentov-Gofrit, R Khawaled, A Bauer, T Cohen, ‘Attitudes among Medical and Law Students Toward Decision-making in Regard to Involuntary Psychiatric Hospitalization’ (2011) 34 (5) Int J Law Psychiatry 368–73; M Guedj, PC Sorum, E Mullet, ‘French Lay People's Views Regarding the Acceptability of Involuntary Hospitalization of Patients Suffering from Psychiatric Illness’ (2012) 35 (1) Int J Law Psychiatry 50–6.

38. A Braitman, MJ Guedj, VD-L Masson, J de Carvalho, E Gallois, P Lana, ‘Critères de prise de décision aux urgences de l’hospitalisation sans le consentement’ [Decision-making in emergency setting about involuntary hospitalization] (2011) 169 (10) Ann Med Psychol 664–7; CG Huber, D Schottle, M Lambert, B Hottenrott, A Agorastos, D Naber, K Schroeder, ‘Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale - Excited Component (BPRS-EC) and Neuropsychological Dysfunction Predict Aggression, Suicidality, and Involuntary Treatment in First-episode Psychosis’ 2012 (2–3) 134 Schizophr Res 273–8; D Schuepbach, I Goetz, H Boeker, D Hell, ‘Voluntary vs Involuntary Hospital Admission in Acute Mania of Bipolar Disorder: Results from the Swiss Sample of the EMBLEM Study’ (2006) 90 (1) J Affect Disord 57–61.

39. A Fiorillo, C De Rosa, V Del Vecchio, L Jurjanz, K Schnall, G Onchev, S Alexiev, J Raboch, L Kalisova, A Mastrogianni et al, ‘How to Improve Clinical Practice on Involuntary Hospital Admissions of Psychiatric Patients: Suggestions from the EUNOMIA Study’(2011) 26 (4) Eur Psychiatry 201–7.

40. Abramowitz et al (n 37).

41. D Fraguas, F Garcia-Solano, E Chapela, S Teran, JJ de la Peña, A Calcedo-Barba, ‘Do Psychiatric Patients Improve their Competency to Consent to Hospitalization after Admission? A Prospective Study in an Acute Inpatient Ward’ (2007) 29 (1) Gen Hosp Psychiatry 54–62.

42. R Kaltiala-Heino, M Valimaki, J Korkeila, C Tuohimaki, V Lehtinen, ‘Involuntary Medication in Psychiatric Inpatient Treatment’ (2003) 18 (6) Eur Psychiatry 290–5.

43. N Cano, L Boyer, F-S Wawrzyniak, V Marciano, C Vedie, M Fournier, A Gavaudan, B Rivet, J-M Azorin, C Lançon et al, ‘L’hospitalisation en psychiatrie: point de vue des patients et perspectives éthiques’ [Patients' perception of hospitalization in Psychiatry: Ethical perspectives] (2013) 171 (8) Ann Med Psychol 518–23; SK Hoge, CW Lidz, M Eisenberg, W Gardner, J Monahan, E Mulvey, L Roth, N Bennett, ‘Perceptions of Coercion in the Admission of Voluntary and Involuntary Psychiatric Patients’ (1997) 20 (2) Int J Law Psychiatry 167–81; RA Nicholson, C Ekenstam, S Norwood, ‘Coercion and the Outcome of Psychiatric Hospitalization’ (1996) 19 (2) Int J Law Psychiatry 201–17.

44. C Bonsack, L Adam, T Haefliger, J Besson, P Conus, ‘Difficult-to-engage Patients: A Specific Target for Time-limited Assertive Outreach in a Swiss Setting’ (2005) 50 (13) Can J Psychiatry 845–50.

45. HT Ellila, A Sourander, M Valimaki, T Warne, M Kaivosoja, ‘The Involuntary Treatment of Adolescent Psychiatric Inpatients: A Nation-wide Survey from Finland’ (2008) 31 (3) J Adolesc 407–19.

46. Jonas (n 36).

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