Officials Debate Using Police Powers to Move Mentally Ill Individuals to Medical Care
Forwarding data about people with mental health challenges to the Ministry of the Interior and directing police to supervise them does not guarantee protection from aggression. This view was expressed by Sergei Leonov, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Health Protection, in an interview with socialbites.ca. He argued that the problem would be better addressed if police officers possessed the authority to forcibly refer individuals who lead an antisocial lifestyle to medical institutions.
Leonov noted that the Ministry of Internal Affairs holds extensive information about Russian citizens. If the ministry has mental health records, there should be no obstacle to using that data to assess the risk of criminal activity. At the same time, he cautioned against making the police solely responsible for locating mentally ill individuals and pushing the responsibility onto them. He suggested that such actions should primarily fall to health authorities, neuropsychiatry facilities, and the dispensary system where patients are already registered. A scenario arises when a mentally ill person lives in an apartment and schedules activities there, potentially harming neighbors, yet little can be done about the person without proper procedures. Relatives often struggle to initiate involuntary treatment, and the idea of transferring this burden to the police may not solve the core issue. If authorities granted police the power to compel hospitalization for someone deemed dangerous while keeping them under observation, it would add bureaucracy and strain the district commissioners. He also pointed out that the police might miss critical moments if they are not allowed to act early. The key, in his view, is to establish a clear framework for isolating individuals who pose daily risks to others, without overstepping other protections.
Leonov advocates building a system in which aggressive individuals can be assessed and, when necessary, hospitalized in medical institutions. He also proposed a whistleblowing hotline that citizens could use to report such situations.
He stated that there must be a strict mechanism ensuring that when a commission determines a person to be dangerous to society and to others, the individual is referred to a private medical facility. He emphasized that the issue lies not with the Ministry of Internal Affairs alone but with social services and the Ministry of Health. The Attorney General’s Office could assist by taking appropriate initiatives. With a clearly established system, residents would know that such individuals live among them and would have a channel to report concerns. A commission would accompany the police, guardianship authorities, social services, and doctors, conduct home inspections, and assess the person in question. Citizens would be vigilant and aware of a whistleblowing line for precautionary actions. While not every case would require intervention, preventive work would involve all relevant authorities and institutions. Flexible arrangements should allow for appropriate rights while focusing on protecting public safety. The goal is to balance safeguarding lives with respect for human rights, recognizing that doing so could save lives and improve everyday life for many people, according to Leonov.
Earlier, Irina Rebrina, Deputy Head of the Main Directorate for Supervision of the Execution of Federal Legislation of the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation, spoke before the State Duma Security Committee. She indicated that the department supports police oversight of mentally ill individuals. The Prosecutor General’s Office also proposed that authorities avoid intervening directly in the treatment process for such patients, instead monitoring them through specially authorized bodies, gathering information from neighbors and close relatives to guide oversight decisions. [citation: socialbites.ca]