The influence of French, Spanish, and English legal traditions on early mental health proceedings in Louisiana.
Unlike other jurisdictions in the United States where the basis of the law can be traced more exclusively to the common law of England, the legal system in Louisiana also has origins in the laws of France and Spain. In this article, the authors describe the laws and procedures that developed early in Louisiana's history for the involuntary care and civil commitment of the mentally ill, focusing on the laws that were passed after the American takeover in 1803.
Department of Psychiatry and Neurology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA. pena@tulane.edu
José M
JM
Peña
Robert
R
Franklin
John W
JW
Thompson
Frank
F
Minyard
Cynthia
C
Carbin
D002961:Civil Rights / Q000266:history / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D003134:Commitment of Persons with Psychiatric Disorders / Q000266:history* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D004739:England; D005602:France; D049671:History, 18th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D006801:Humans; D008145:Louisiana; D028642:Persons with Psychiatric Disorders; D013030:Spain