Seattle University Collaborative Projects - International Academy of ...

and potential for inhumane abuses to persons with mental illness.The Changing Role of Psychiatrist Members of the Parole Board for Englandand Wales as a Result of the Implementation of the European Convention onHuman RightsJohn A Baird, Royal College of Psychiatrists, Glasgow, Scotland (john.a.baird@ntlworld.com)Before the introduction of the European Convention on Human Rights, the final decision on therelease of a life sentence prisoner was taken by a senior elected politician. The Convention tookaway that right from politicians and gave it to a tribunal of members of the Parole Board whotogether have the final decision on the matter of release.Psychiatrists and Psychologists as members of the Parole Board are members of these tribunals.Along with a change in the locus of decision making came much greater clarification of the testswhich were to be applied, together with a requirement for the proceedings to include all partiesfor case papers to be shared and for the tribunal to issue their decision in writing and for theirdecision making and deliberations to be transparent. Psychiatrists and Psychologists, when theyare sitting on tribunals, have to balance their clinical role with their primary judicial function. Itcan take both time and reflection to develop these new skills.Issues of risk aversion,'re-sentencing' and the challenge of true independence all arise during thecourse of this work and will be discussed. Discretionary release of long term prisoners servingboth determinate and indeterminate sentences is a feature of many jurisdictions and this system islikely to be of interest to those who are involved with similar issues in other countries.189. International Human Rights & TJFetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders & Mental Health LawSophie Hein, Université Laval (heinsophie@yahoo.ca)Why do Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) still seem unrecognized in Mental HealthField? What should Law be and do to capture particularities of FASD? Could Mental HealthCourts help people with FASD?This presentation looks at FASD as a spectrum of neurological disorders still largelyunrecognized by law, health and mental health practitioners, especially in Quebec. WhileCanada is seen as a leader on FASD, its province of Quebec is only starting to look at thisdisability, exploring how the law could better intervene on people with FASD and their family.Collaborative Law Movement, Therapeutic Jurisprudence, Capabilities Approach and DisabilityHuman Rights all converge by aiming improvement of the well-being of people with disabilities.448