Revised Laws of Saint Lucia (2021)

24.   Mentally ill persons and persons with any contagious disease

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    (1)   Where a person detained in a correctional facility, lock-up or legalised police cell appears to the Director or person in charge of a lock-up or legalised police cell to be mentally ill, the Director or person in charge may order the Consultant Psychiatrist to examine the person detained.

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    (2)   Where the Consultant Psychiatrist certifies that such person detained is, in the opinion of the Consultant Psychiatrist, mentally ill, the Director or person in charge of a lock-up or legalised police cell, shall seek a court order to have the person detained committed to a mental hospital, there to be kept and treated as if he or she had been ordered to be detained in the mental hospital under the Mental Hospitals'Act until a consultant psychiatrist of such Mental Hospital certifies that the person has ceased to require treatment in that institution.

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    (3)   The court which made the order of committal under subsection (2), shall by order direct that the person detained be returned to the correctional facility, lock-up or legalised police cell where he or she was removed there to be dealt with according to law.

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    (4)   Where a person detained in a correctional facility lock-up or legalised police cell appears to the Director or person in charge of a lock-up or legalised police cell to be suffering from any communicable diseases as specified under the Public Health Act, the Director or person in charge may order a medical officer to examine the person detained.

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    (5)   Where the medical officer certifies that the person detained is, in the opinion of the medical officer, suffering from a communicable disease that cannot be managed within the health unit of the correctional facility, the Director or person in charge of a lock-up or legalised police cell shall seek a court order to have the person removed to such place as may be specified in the order there to be kept and treated until a medical practitioner of that place, certifies that the person detained has ceased to require treatment in that place, and the provisions of subsection (3) shall apply with the necessary modifications.

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    (6)   The provisions of this section are in addition to and not in derogation of any enactment dealing with communicable diseases.