Committal To Institutions

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31142, 19 August 1966, Page 10

Committal To Institutions

Sir, —A public meeting in Timaru was told that four out of seven certificates signed by a psychiatrist were refused by magistrates, so that mentally ill patients were denied proper treatment. This shocking allegation must be investigated immediately. But magistrates should not be removed from the provisions of the Mental Health Act and the new Alcoholic Bill. Actually most certificates are signed by doctors with no more psychological training than the magistrates, and the possibility of wrongful committal, not entirely unknown, demands strict legal supervision. I have more than a feeling that magistrates vary in their approach to committal orders, some endorsing the doctors’ decisions as a matter of routine, while others ask awkward questions. A co-operative magistrate (from the medical viewpoint) could do untold harm in rare cases, which could become more common if the magisterial veto were removed.— Yours, etc., VARIAN J. WILSON.

August 14, 1966. [This letter was sent to the Minister of Justice (Mr Hanan), who was invited to comment. The following reply has been received from the Minister of Health (Mr McKay): “The Minister of Justice has referred to me your letter of August 15, to which you attached a letter to your editor from Varian J. Wilson. You will appreciate that it is not within my province to comment on the decisions of magistrates.”]