Children's Rights in Michigan: New Law and Old Paternalism

A variety of civil, treatment, and environmental rights of patients in Michigan's state institutions, private facilities, and community mental health services are protected by the state's mental health code. Any complaint of a violation of a right must be investigated; if it is substantiated, remedial action must be taken and must be reported to the complainant. The complaints of children in institutions, or others acting in their behalf, cluster around three major rights: protection from abuse, treatment suited to condition, and a safe, sanitary, and humane living environment. The author discusses a number of problems that the state office of recipient rights has encountered in dealing with alleged violations of children's rights.