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The Law Reform Commission submits for review a Discussion Paper entitled “The Decriminalisation of Suicide”. The Discussion Paper is prepared in response to a referral by the Honourable Attorney General, dated January, 2019, requesting that the Law Reform Commission review the penal laws dealing with suicide and, in particular, to consider whether the offence of suicide should be decriminalised. The referral comes against the background of a submission made to the Commission by the Legal Committee of the Alex Panton Foundation proposing the decriminalisation of suicide.
This paper examines the common law and the statutory provisions that save suicide as a criminal offence and makes recommendations for the decriminalisation of suicide having regard to the view that treatment, rather than prosecution, is the appropriate and recommended response for a person struggling with a mental health crisis.
Stakeholders and members of the general public are invited to generally comment on the issues identified in the Discussion Paper and, in particular, to submit their views on the recommendations and Bills presented for discussion.
The Paper may be viewed on the following website: www.lrc.gov.ky or www.gov.ky or a copy may be collected from the Offices of the Commission.
Submissions should be forwarded no later than 21st October, 2019 to the Director of the Law Reform Commission, 4th Floor Government Administration Building, Portfolio of Legal Affairs, 133 Elgin Avenue, George Town, Grand Cayman, P.O. Box 136, Grand Cayman KY1-9000 either (a) electronically to cilawreform@gov.ky, or (b) in writing, by post or hand delivered.