Child Rights] ("[persons with mental disabilities] are at higher risk for abuse and violence, which can, in turn, aggravate existing disabilities or create secondary disabilities, such as psychosocial trauma."). See generally Cassandra Kisiel et al., Understanding Strengths in Relation to Complex Trauma and Mental Health Symptoms Within Child Welfare, 26 J. CHILD & FAM. STUD. 437 (2017) (urging targeted trauma-informed assessments in mental health evaluations).

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Custodial suicide is a foundational concern for correctional systems. The incarcerated population is at an increased risk for suicide as compared with people living in the community. Sufficient suicide prevention is a critical component of a constitutionally adequate system of correctional mental health care. The remedial phases of class action litigations have animated improvement in suicide prevention in many correctional systems across the United States. In the current climate, many legal obstacles make it more difficult for plaintiffs to prevail in such cases, but it is expected that advocates will find novel approaches in response to these legal hurdles, such as greater reliance on state law remedies, and will seek to expand the scope of potential actions in emerging areas such as immigration detention. Defendants and courts will, in turn, need to respond to these changes. This article explores the history of relevant litigations, and the legal obstacles currently faced by plaintiffs, as well as future directions the authors consider will likely be taken. Practical issues such as appropriate measurement of improvement in the area of suicide prevention are also explored.

Around the world, people with mental disabilities are subject to many types of behavioral therapies against their will, including medications and restraints. This is especially true of people who are institutionalized. These intrusions are in violation of fundamental international human rights principles. People with mental disabilities are often stripped of many of their basic rights, including the right to determine what is done to their bodies. This article compares the prevailing law on the right to refuse treatment for people with mental disabilities in an institutional setting in three different nations on three continents, specifically in the United States, Kenya, and Brazil.

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