Edward Lui on First Aid Administrative Law: Patching the Conditional Discharge Regime (HKLJ)

"First Aid Administrative Law: Patching the Conditional Discharge Regime"
Edward Lui
Hong Kong Law Journal, Vol. 53, Part 2 of 2023, pp.701 - 731

Abstract: The conditional discharge regime – contained in s 42B of the Mental Health Ordinance (Cap 136) – is an important aspect of Hong Kong’s mental health law. It provides that patients falling within its scope may be discharged into the community, whilst being held subject to specified conditions. But this regime has been subjected to significant academic criticism, including in relation to its relative lack of substantive and participatory safeguards for the patients involved. This article argues that in the absence of statutory reform, the well-established principles of administrative law can offer a valuable mitigation of some of the problems observed under the regime.