title: The Consequences of Official Labels: An Examination of the Rights Lost by the Mentally Ill and Mentally Incompetent Since 1989.
abstract: This study presents a survey of state statutes which restrict the civil rights of persons with a mental illness or who have been declared mentally incompetent. Five civil rights (voting, holding public office, jury service, parenting, and marriage) are examined. The results of this study are compared with the results of studies conducted in 1989 and 1999 to determine what changes have occurred over time in the restriction of civil rights of those suffering from mental health problems. This comparison reveals that states continue to restrict the rights of the mentally ill and incompetent, and that there is a trend towards increased restriction of political rights, including the right to vote and hold public office.
authors.affiliation: Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, Washington State University, 701 Johnson Tower, PO Box 644872, Pullman, WA, 99164-4872, USA.
authors.forename: Andrea M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.affiliation: Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, Washington State University, 701 Johnson Tower, PO Box 644872, Pullman, WA, 99164-4872, USA.
authors.forename: Michael S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.affiliation: Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, Washington State University, 701 Johnson Tower, PO Box 644872, Pullman, WA, 99164-4872, USA. Craig.hemmens@wsu.edu.
authors.forename: Craig
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hemmens
authors.affiliation: Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, Washington State University, 701 Johnson Tower, PO Box 644872, Pullman, WA, 99164-4872, USA.
authors.forename: Mary K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Stohr
authors.affiliation: University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS, USA.
authors.forename: Velmer S
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Burton
mesh_terms: D002961:Civil Rights / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000639:trends; D003134:Commitment of Persons with Psychiatric Disorders / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D016743:Mental Competency / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D028642:Persons with Psychiatric Disorders / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D014481:United States
keywords: Civil rights; Incompetence; Mental health; Mental illness; Statute