I am involved in the teaching and supervision of students enrolled in our specialist post-graduate degree: the Masters of Bioethics and Health Law.
Research interests
Mental health law, law governing research, Te Tiriti o Waitangi / Treaty of Waitangi settlements, public law and socio-legal research.
The main focus of my research is the law governing involuntary psychiatric treatment and legal relations between mental health professionals and their clients. I study these matters in the law books and in fieldwork conducted within the mental health services. Often this involves collaboration with health professionals and social scientists.
I have also had a long involvement with law reform. In my secondary field of research, public law, my focus has been on relations between the NZ state and Māori, and on Treaty of Waitangi settlements.
My main research project currently is known as the Otago Community Treatment Order Study. This is a study of the use of involuntary outpatient psychiatric treatment. This has been funded by the Health Research Council of New Zealand and the New Zealand Law Foundation.
Background
I was educated in New Zealand and North America, at Otago and Harvard universities, and have taught as a visitor at McGill in Montreal and at the University of Toronto.
Publications
Lenagh-Glue, J., Thom, K., O'Brien, A., Potiki, J., Casey, H., Dawson, J., & Glue, P. (2020). The content of Mental Health Advance Preference statements (MAPs): An assessment of completed advance directives in one New Zealand health board. International Journal of Law & Psychiatry, 68, 101537. doi: 10.1016/j.ijlp.2019.101537
Journal - Research Article
Reuvecamp, I., & Dawson, J. (Eds.). (2019). Mental capacity law in New Zealand. Wellington, New Zealand: Thomson Reuters, 425p.
Edited Book - Research
Dawson, J. (2019). General principles and sources of mental capacity law. In I. Reuvecamp & J. Dawson (Eds.), Mental capacity law in New Zealand. (pp. 3-16). Wellington, New Zealand: Thomson Reuters.
Chapter in Book - Research
Dawson, J. (2019). The CRPD and mental capacity law. In I. Reuvecamp & J. Dawson (Eds.), Mental capacity law in New Zealand. (pp. 95-109). Wellington, New Zealand: Thomson Reuters.
Chapter in Book - Research
Dawson, J. B. (2018). The Australasian approach to the definition of mental disorder in a Mental Health Act. Medical Law Review, 26(4), 610-632. doi: 10.1093/medlaw/fwx057
Journal - Research Article
Dawson, J., & Burns, T. (2017). Lowering legal barriers to transitioning mentally disordered offenders into general health care. In A. Buchanan & L. Wootton (Eds.), Care of the mentally disordered offender in the community. (2nd ed.) (pp. 267-282). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Chapter in Book - Research
Dawson, J. (2016). Community treatment order legislation in the Commonwealth. In A. Molodynski, J. Rugkåsa & T. Burns (Eds.), Coercion in community mental health care: International perspectives. (pp. 23-44). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Chapter in Book - Research
Dawson, J. (2016). The powers conferred by community treatment orders. In M. Henaghan & J. Wall (Eds.), Law, ethics, and medicine: Essays in honour of Peter Skegg. (pp. 243-265). Wellington, New Zealand: Thomson Reuters.
Chapter in Book - Research
Dawson, J. (2016). Community treatment orders. In J. Chandler & C. M. Flood (Eds.), Law and mind: Mental health law and policy in Canada. (pp. 139-160). Toronto, Canada: LexisNexis.
Chapter in Book - Research
Dawson, J. (2015). A realistic approach to assessing mental health laws' compliance with the UNCRPD. International Journal of Law & Psychiatry, 40, 70-79. doi: 10.1016/j.ijlp.2015.04.003
Journal - Research Article
Dawson, J. (2015). Mental health and intellectual disability. In P. D. G. Skegg & R. Paterson (Eds.), Health law in New Zealand. (pp. 425-511). Wellington, New Zealand: Thomson Reuters.
Chapter in Book - Research
Dawson, J., & O'Reilly, R. (2015). Residence conditions on community treatment orders. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry / La Revue canadienne de psychiatrie, 60(11), 523-527. doi: 10.1177/070674371506001108
Journal - Research Article
Rugkåsa, J., Dawson, J., & Burns, T. (2014). CTOs: What is the state of the evidence? Social Psychiatry & Psychiatric Epidemiology, 49(12), 1861-1871. doi: 10.1007/s00127-014-0839-7
Journal - Research Article
Zhao, X., & Dawson, J. (2014). The new Chinese Mental Health Law. Psychiatry, Psychology & Law, 21(5), 669-686. doi: 10.1080/13218719.2014.882248
Journal - Research Article
Dawson, J., & Gledhill, K. (Eds.). (2013). New Zealand's Mental Health Act in practice. Wellington, New Zealand: Victoria University Press, 416p.
Edited Book - Research
Rugkåsa, J., & Dawson, J. (2013). Community treatment orders: Current evidence and the implications. British Journal of Psychiatry, 203, 406-408. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.113.133900
Journal - Research Article
Burns, T., Rugkåsa, J., Molodynski, A., Dawson, J., Yeeles, K., Vazquez-Montes, M., … Priebe, S. (2013). Community treatment orders for patients with psychosis (OCTET): A randomised controlled trial. Lancet, 381, 1627-1633. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(13)60107-5
Journal - Research Article
Dawson, J., Ellis, P., Glue, P., Goldsmith, D., Lenagh-Glue, J., & Smith, D. A. R. (2013). Mandatory second opinions on compulsory treatment. In J. Dawson & K. Gledhill (Eds.), New Zealand's Mental Health Act in practice. (pp. 229-246). Wellington, New Zealand: Victoria University Press.
Chapter in Book - Research
Dawson, J. (2013). The complex meaning of 'mental disorder'. In J. Dawson & K. Gledhill (Eds.), New Zealand's Mental Health Act in practice. (pp. 29-45). Wellington, New Zealand: Victoria University Press.
Chapter in Book - Research
O'Reilly, R., Dawson, J., & Burns, T. (2012). Best practices in the use of involuntary outpatient treatment. Psychiatric Services, 63(5), 421-423. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.20120p421
Journal - Research Article
Dawson, J., Burns, T., & Rugkåsa, J. (2011). Lawfulness of a randomised trial of the new Community Treatment Order regime for England and Wales. Medical Law Review, 19(1), 1-26. doi: 10.1093/medlaw/fwq030
Journal - Research Article
Dawson, J. (2010). Community treatment orders. In L. Gostin, P. Bartlett, P. Fennell, J. McHale & R. Mackay (Eds.), Principles of mental health law and policy. (pp. 513-554). Oxford University Press.
Chapter in Book - Research
Szmukler, G., Daw, R., & Dawson, J. (2010). The proposal: A model law fusing incapacity and mental health legislation. Journal of Mental Health Law, 20(Special issue), 11-24.
Journal - Research Article
Dawson, J. (2010). Compulsory outpatient treatment and the calculus of human rights. In B. McSherry & P. Walker (Eds.), Rethinking rights-based mental health laws. (pp. 327-354). Oxford, UK: Hart.
Chapter in Book - Research
Szmukler, G., Daw, R., & Dawson, J. (2010). The model law: Outline of the model law and addendum. Journal of Mental Health Law, 20(Special issue), 101-126.
Journal - Research Article
Dawson, J., & Szmukler, G. (2006). Fusion of mental health and incapacity legislation. British Journal of Psychiatry, 188, 504-509. doi: 10.1192/bjp.188.6.504
Journal - Research Article