Chapter IV: Hospitalization of prisoners suffering from mental disorders

The specially-adapted unit within a healthcare establishment referred to in article L. 3214-1 deals with full hospitalisation, with or without their consent, of persons detained in prisons located in an area defined by joint order of the ministers responsible for justice, health and the interior. In the case of hospitalisation with consent, admission is decided by the director of the health establishment of the specially adapted unit to which the…

When a detainee cannot be cared for in a specially equipped unit in the area concerned due to a lack of available space, an attempt is made to admit him/her to the nearest specially equipped unit. The same applies when two detainees must not be hospitalised in the same unit for security reasons. In this case, the inter-regional director of prison services will inform the director of the healthcare establishment…

The arrangements for the admission and stay of prisoners in specially adapted units, as well as the organisational and operational rules applicable within the unit, are set out in an agreement signed by the director of the healthcare establishment, the head of the prison to which the prison staff assigned to the specially adapted unit are attached, the director general of the regional health agency, the inter-regional director of prison…

The allocation of investment and operating costs for specially adapted units between the State and health establishments is determined by a joint order of the Ministers of Justice and Health.