Ethical and Social Perils of Pennsylvania’s Lack of Publicly Accessible Involuntary Commitment Data

Ethical and Social Perils of Pennsylvania’s Lack of Publicly Accessible Involuntary Commitment Data

Abstract:

An involuntary psychiatric commitment legally detains and provides inpatient treatment to individuals experiencing mental health crises and who are, therefore, deemed to be a danger to themselves and/or others. While sometimes beneficial, the process infringes upon personal liberty and autonomy, and it can have long-term, detrimental impacts on those subject to such involuntary psychiatric detention. Due to the invasive nature of this governmental intervention achieved via the exercise of police power, approximately half of U.S. states make involuntary commitment data, stripped of individual identifiers, publicly available to: provide transparency and accountability; improve health policy; and bolster community awareness. Such public reporting is typically mandated in the statutory scheme establishing involuntary psychiatric detention. Even though the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services and the Pennsylvania State Police collect involuntary commitment data in accord with statutory mandate, these data are not available to the public. A review of relevant literature, funding documents, statutes, and the submission of several Right-to-Know requests demonstrate the necessity of public access to these data. The inaccessibility of this dataset inhibits evidence-based practices, obfuscates trends and systemic concerns, mystifies a practice impacting members of the public, and fails to align with the principles of beneficence and justice. Considering these societal and ethical implications, we aim to convene a symposium of bioethicists, data scientists, mental health clinicians, researchers, and policy makers to catalyze knowledge on data-accessibility approaches, identify barriers, and examine best practices. We also intend to petition legislators to help in acquiring state-wide involuntary commitment data and amending statutes governing involuntary commitment. 

Primary Investigator(s):

Senior Research Associate in the Rock Ethics Institute
Associate Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics, and Philosophy
Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Career Chair in Neuroethics
Associate Teaching Professor of Bioethics and Humanities
Associate Director, Bioethics Program
Affiliate Law Faculty
Joint Appointment, Penn State College of Medicine Humanities Department