{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/mental-health-act-1983/section-88",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/mental-health-act-1983/section-88.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/1983/20",
  "legislation_title": "Mental Health Act 1983",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/mental-health-act-1983",
  "path": "section/88",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "88",
  "heading": "Patients absent from hospitals in England and Wales.",
  "text": "(1) Subject to the provisions of this section, any person who, under section 18 above or section 138 below or under the said section 18 as applied by section 22 above, may be taken into custody in England and Wales may be taken into custody in, and returned to England and Wales from, Northern Ireland.\n(2) For the purposes of the enactments referred to in subsection (1) above in their application by virtue of this section, the expression “constable” includes an officer or constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland.\n(3) For the purposes of the said enactments in their application by virtue of this section to Scotland or Northern Ireland, any reference to an approved mental health professionalshall be construed as including a reference—\n(a) in Scotland, to any mental health officer within the meaning of the Mental Health (Care and Treatment)(Scotland) Act 2003;\n(b) in Northern Ireland, to any approved social worker within the meaning of the Mental Health (Northern Ireland) Order 1986.\n(4) This section does not apply to any person who is subject to guardianship.",
  "extent": "E+W+S+N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "S. 88 repealed (S.) (3.11.2008) by Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007 (asp. 10), ss. 74, 79; S.S.I. 2008/49, art. 2(2) (as amended by S.I. 2008/116, art. 2(2) and S.S.I. 2008/314, art. 3)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "Words in s. 88(1) substituted (28.10.2008 for E.W.) by Mental Health Act 2007 (c. 12), ss. 39, 56, Sch. 5 para. 14(2) (with Sch. 10); S.I. 2008/2788, art. 2(a)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F3",
      "text": "S. 88(2) substituted (28.10.2008 for E.W.) by Mental Health Act 2007 (c. 12), ss. 39, 56, Sch. 5 para. 14(3) (with Sch. 10); S.I. 2008/2788, art. 2(a)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F4",
      "text": "Words in s. 88(3) repealed (28.10.2008 for E.W.) by Mental Health Act 2007 (c. 12), ss. 39, 55, 56, Sch. 5 para. 14(4)(a), Sch. 11 Pt. 7 (with Sch. 10); S.I. 2008.2788, {art. 2}"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F5",
      "text": "Words in s. 88(3) substituted (3.11.2008 for E.W.) by Mental Health Act 2007 (c. 12), ss. 21, 56, Sch. 2 para. 7(g) (with Sch. 10); S.I. 2008/1900, art. 2(d) (with art. 3, Sch.); S.I. 2008/2561, art. 2(b) (with art. 3, Sch.)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F6",
      "text": "S. 88(3)(a) repealed (28.10.2008 for E.W.) by Mental Health Act 2007 (c. 12), ss. 39, 55, 56, Sch. 5 para. 14(4)(b), Sch. 11 Pt. 7 (with Sch. 10); S.I. 2008/2788, art. 2"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F7",
      "text": "Words in s. 88(3)(a) substituted (S.) (27.9.2005) by The Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 (Modification of Enactments) Order 2005 (S.S.I. 2005/465), art. 2, Sch. 1 para. 13(3) and words in s. 80(3)(a) substituted (E.W.) (5.10.2005) by The Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 (Consequential Provisions) Order 2005 (S.I. 2005/2078), art. 15, Sch. 1 para. 2(5)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F8",
      "text": "Words in s. 88(3)(b) repealed (28.10.2008 for E.W.) by Mental Health Act 2007 (c. 12), ss. 39, 55, 56, Sch. 5 para. 14(4)(c), Sch. 11 Pt. 7 (with Sch. 10); S.I. 2008/2788, art. 2(b)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F9",
      "text": "Words substituted by S.I. 1986/596, art. 2(16)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1983/20/section/88",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T10:09:24.002453+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}