Abstract
The least restrictive alternative concept is widely used in mental health law. This paper addresses how the concept has been applied to treatment decisions. The paper offers both a legal and a behavioral analysis to some problems that have emerged in recent years concerning the selection of behavioral procedures used to change client behavior. The paper also offers ways of improving the application of the concept, which involve developing a more behaviorally functional perspective toward restrictiveness.
Keywords: least restrictive alternative, treatment decisions, legal issues, behavioral programming
Full text
PDFSelected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Friedman Paul R. Legal regulation of applied behavior analysis in mental institutions and prisons. Ariz Law Rev. 1975;17(1):39–104. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Johnston J. M., Shook G. L. Developing behavior analysis at the state level. Behav Anal. 1987 Fall;10(2):199–233. doi: 10.1007/BF03392431. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Reese R. M. Ensuring the right to minimally adequate habilitation: a proposed role for human rights committees. Ment Retard. 1984 Jun;22(3):142–146. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Repp A. C., Deitz D. E. Ethical issues in reducing responding of institutionalized mentally retarded persons. Ment Retard. 1978 Feb;16(1):45–46. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]