Practice Question
Which circumstance, when it occurs on an inpatient mental health unit, should be considered false imprisonment?
Answer Choices:
Correct Answer:
An alert and oriented client who was admitted for a 72 hour involuntary commitment is prevented from leaving the facility 48 hours after admission.
Rationale:
✨ False imprisonment occurs when a person is confined or restricted without lawful justification or without proper safety indications.
✨ In this case, the client is alert and oriented and was only loud and argumentative, which does not automatically meet criteria for danger to self or others.
✨ Locking the client in their room is a form of seclusion, which is considered a restrictive intervention and must be justified by imminent risk and proper orders, not just misbehavior.
✨ Using seclusion as punishment for being argumentative is inappropriate and unethical, and can legally be viewed as false imprisonment.
✨ Therefore, this scenario fits the definition of unjustified restriction of movement, consistent with false imprisonment.
Preventing involuntary client from leaving at 48 hours
✨ A client admitted under a 72-hour involuntary commitment is legally required to remain for that evaluation period, even if they want to leave sooner.
✨ Preventing the client from leaving at 48 hours is consistent with the legal terms of the commitment, which allows the facility time to assess safety and treatment needs.
✨ Because the client has been legally detained under mental health legislation, the restriction is not considered false imprisonment.
✨ The facility is acting under court order or statutory authority, which provides lawful justification for holding the client.
✨ Thus, this circumstance reflects legal confinement, not false imprisonment.
Restraints for lethargic client with multiple falls
✨ Physical restraints may be used only when less restrictive measures have failed and when necessary to protect the client from harm, such as recurrent falls.
✨ The client in this scenario has been lethargic due to medication misuse and has fallen three times, indicating a significant risk of injury.
✨ If restraints are applied following policy, assessment, and provider orders, they may be justified for safety, even though they are restrictive.
✨ This use is not for punishment or convenience, but to prevent further harm, which distinguishes it from false imprisonment.
✨ While still requiring strict monitoring and documentation, this situation is not automatically classified as false imprisonment.
Private room with visual monitors after suicide attempt
✨ Placing a client in a private room with visual monitors after a recent suicide attempt is a safety intervention, not a punishment.
✨ The goal is to continuously observe the client to prevent further self-harm, which is a core responsibility of mental health care.
✨ The client is not being physically restrained or unlawfully detained beyond the clinical need for safety and observation.
✨ Such monitoring is considered a protective measure, especially for clients at high risk for suicide.
✨ Therefore, this situation does not meet the criteria for false imprisonment.
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This question is from Examplify PN NJ Eve Mental Health Exam 2025 – Teterboro Evening which contains 49 questions.
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From Exam
Examplify PN NJ Eve Mental Health Exam 2025 – Teterboro Evening
49 Questions
View Full Exam Start PracticingQuestion Details
- Category: LPN Nursing Exam(s)
- Subcategory: 💎Examplify-PN
- Domain: 🤦🏼♀️ Mental Health-PN
- Answer Choices: 4