1370.01
. (a) (1) If the defendant is found mentally competent, the
criminal process shall resume, the trial on the offense charged shall
proceed, and judgment may be pronounced. If the defendant is found
mentally incompetent, the trial, judgment, or hearing on the alleged
violation shall be suspended until the person becomes mentally
competent, and the court shall order that (A) in the meantime, the
defendant be delivered by the sheriff to an available public or
private treatment facility approved by the county mental health
director that will promote the defendant's speedy restoration to
mental competence, or placed on outpatient status as specified in
this section, and (B) upon the filing of a certificate of restoration
to competence, the defendant be returned to court in accordance with
Section 1372. The court shall transmit a copy of its order to the
county mental health director or his or her designee.
(2) Prior to making the order directing that the defendant be
confined in a treatment facility or placed on outpatient status, the
court shall proceed as follows:
(A) The court shall order the county mental health director or his
or her designee to evaluate the defendant and to submit to the court
within 15 judicial days of the order a written recommendation as to
whether the defendant should be required to undergo outpatient
treatment, or committed to a treatment facility. No person shall be
admitted to a treatment facility or placed on outpatient status under
this section without having been evaluated by the county mental
health director or his or her designee. No person shall be admitted
to a state hospital under this section unless the county mental
health director finds that there is no less restrictive appropriate
placement available and the county mental health director has a
contract with the State Department of State Hospitals for these
placements.
(B) The court shall hear and determine whether the defendant, with
advice of his or her counsel, consents to the administration of
antipsychotic medication, and shall proceed as follows:
(i) If the defendant, with advice of his or her counsel, consents,
the court order of commitment shall include confirmation that
antipsychotic medication may be given to the defendant as prescribed
by a treating psychiatrist pursuant to the defendant's consent. The
commitment order shall also indicate that, if the defendant withdraws
consent for antipsychotic medication, after the treating
psychiatrist complies with the provisions of subparagraph (C), the
defendant shall be returned to court for a hearing in accordance with
this subdivision regarding whether antipsychotic medication shall be
administered involuntarily.
(ii) If the defendant does not consent to the administration of
medication, the court shall hear and determine whether any of the
following is true:
(I) The defendant lacks capacity to make decisions regarding
antipsychotic medication, the defendant's mental disorder requires
medical treatment with antipsychotic medication, and, if the
defendant's mental disorder is not treated with antipsychotic
medication, it is probable that serious harm to the physical or
mental health of the patient will result. Probability of serious harm
to the physical or mental health of the defendant requires evidence
that the defendant is presently suffering adverse effects to his or
her physical or mental health, or the defendant has previously
suffered these effects as a result of a mental disorder and his or
her condition is substantially deteriorating. The fact that a
defendant has a diagnosis of a mental disorder does not alone
establish probability of serious harm to the physical or mental
health of the defendant.
(II) The defendant is a danger to others, in that the defendant
has inflicted, attempted to inflict, or made a serious threat of
inflicting substantial physical harm on another while in custody, or
the defendant had inflicted, attempted to inflict, or made a serious
threat of inflicting substantial physical harm on another that
resulted in his or her being taken into custody, and the defendant
presents, as a result of mental disorder or mental defect, a
demonstrated danger of inflicting substantial physical harm on
others. Demonstrated danger may be based on an assessment of the
defendant's present mental condition, including a consideration of
past behavior of the defendant within six years prior to the time the
defendant last attempted to inflict, inflicted, or threatened to
inflict substantial physical harm on another, and other relevant
evidence.
(III) The people have charged the defendant with a serious crime
against the person or property; involuntary administration of
antipsychotic medication is substantially likely to render the
defendant competent to stand trial; the medication is unlikely to
have side effects that interfere with the defendant's ability to
understand the nature of the criminal proceedings or to assist
counsel in the conduct of a defense in a reasonable manner; less
intrusive treatments are unlikely to have substantially the same
results; and antipsychotic medication is in the patient's best
medical interest in light of his or her medical condition.
(iii) If the court finds any of the conditions described in clause
(ii) to be true, the court shall issue an order authorizing the
treatment facility to involuntarily administer antipsychotic
medication to the defendant when and as prescribed by the defendant's
treating psychiatrist. The court shall not order involuntary
administration of psychotropic medication under subclause (III) of
clause (ii) unless the court has first found that the defendant does
not meet the criteria for involuntary administration of psychotropic
medication under subclause (I) of clause (ii) and does not meet the
criteria under subclause (II) of clause (ii).
(iv) In all cases, the treating hospital, facility, or program may
administer medically appropriate antipsychotic medication prescribed
by a psychiatrist in an emergency as described in subdivision (m) of
Section 5008 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.
(v) Any report made pursuant to subdivision (b) shall include a
description of any antipsychotic medication administered to the
defendant and its effects and side effects, including effects on the
defendant's appearance or behavior that would affect the defendant's
ability to understand the nature of the criminal proceedings or to
assist counsel in the conduct of a defense in a reasonable manner.
During the time the defendant is confined in a state hospital or
other treatment facility or placed on outpatient status, either the
defendant or the people may request that the court review any order
made pursuant to this subdivision. The defendant, to the same extent
enjoyed by other patients in the state hospital or other treatment
facility, shall have the right to contact the patients' rights
advocate regarding his or her rights under this section.
(C) If the defendant consented to antipsychotic medication as
described in clause (i) of subparagraph (B), but subsequently
withdraws his or her consent, or, if involuntary antipsychotic
medication was not ordered pursuant to clause (ii) of subparagraph
(B), and the treating psychiatrist determines that antipsychotic
medication has become medically necessary and appropriate, the
treating psychiatrist shall make efforts to obtain informed consent
from the defendant for antipsychotic medication. If informed consent
is not obtained from the defendant, and the treating psychiatrist is
of the opinion that the defendant lacks capacity to make decisions
regarding antipsychotic medication as specified in subclause (I) of
clause (ii) of subparagraph (B), or that the defendant is a danger to
others as specified in subclause (II) of clause (ii) of subparagraph
(B), the committing court shall be notified of this, including an
assessment of the current mental status of the defendant and the
opinion of the treating psychiatrist that involuntary antipsychotic
medication has become medically necessary and appropriate. The court
shall provide copies of the report to the prosecuting attorney and to
the attorney representing the defendant and shall set a hearing to
determine whether involuntary antipsychotic medication should be
ordered in the manner described in subparagraph (B).
(3) When the court, after considering the placement recommendation
of the county mental health director required in paragraph (2),
orders that the defendant be confined in a public or private
treatment facility, the court shall provide copies of the following
documents which shall be taken with the defendant to the treatment
facility where the defendant is to be confined:
(A) The commitment order, including a specification of the
charges.
(B) A computation or statement setting forth the maximum term of
commitment in accordance with subdivision (c).
(C) A computation or statement setting forth the amount of credit
for time served, if any, to be deducted from the maximum term of
commitment.
(D) State summary criminal history information.
(E) Any arrest reports prepared by the police department or other
law enforcement agency.
(F) Any court-ordered psychiatric examination or evaluation
reports.
(G) The county mental health director's placement recommendation
report.
(4) A person subject to commitment under this section may be
placed on outpatient status under the supervision of the county
mental health director or his or her designee by order of the court
in accordance with the procedures contained in Title 15 (commencing
with Section 1600) except that where the term "community program
director" appears the term "county mental health director" shall be
substituted.
(5) If the defendant is committed or transferred to a public or
private treatment facility approved by the county mental health
director, the court may, upon receiving the written recommendation of
the county mental health director, transfer the defendant to another
public or private treatment facility approved by the county mental
health director. In the event of dismissal of the criminal charges
before the defendant recovers competence, the person shall be subject
to the applicable provisions of Part 1 (commencing with Section
5000) of Division 5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code. Where
either the defendant or the prosecutor chooses to contest the order
of transfer, a petition may be filed in the court for a hearing,
which shall be held if the court determines that sufficient grounds
exist. At the hearing, the prosecuting attorney or the defendant may
present evidence bearing on the order of transfer. The court shall
use the same standards as are used in conducting probation revocation
hearings pursuant to Section 1203.2.
Prior to making an order for transfer under this section, the
court shall notify the defendant, the attorney of record for the
defendant, the prosecuting attorney, and the county mental health
director or his or her designee.
(b) Within 90 days of a commitment made pursuant to subdivision
(a), the medical director of the treatment facility to which the
defendant is confined shall make a written report to the court and
the county mental health director or his or her designee, concerning
the defendant's progress toward recovery of mental competence. Where
the defendant is on outpatient status, the outpatient treatment staff
shall make a written report to the county mental health director
concerning the defendant's progress toward recovery of mental
competence. Within 90 days of placement on outpatient status, the
county mental health director shall report to the court on this
matter. If the defendant has not recovered mental competence, but the
report discloses a substantial likelihood that the defendant will
regain mental competence in the foreseeable future, the defendant
shall remain in the treatment facility or on outpatient status.
Thereafter, at six-month intervals or until the defendant becomes
mentally competent, where the defendant is confined in a treatment
facility, the medical director of the hospital or person in charge of
the facility shall report in writing to the court and the county
mental health director or a designee regarding the defendant's
progress toward recovery of mental competence. Where the defendant is
on outpatient status, after the initial 90-day report, the
outpatient treatment staff shall report to the county mental health
director on the defendant's progress toward recovery, and the county
mental health director shall report to the court on this matter at
six-month intervals. A copy of these reports shall be provided to the
prosecutor and defense counsel by the court. If the report indicates
that there is no substantial likelihood that the defendant will
regain mental competence in the foreseeable future, the committing
court shall order the defendant to be returned to the court for
proceedings pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (c). The court
shall transmit a copy of its order to the county mental health
director or his or her designee.
(c) (1) If, at the end of one year from the date of commitment or
a period of commitment equal to the maximum term of imprisonment
provided by law for the most serious offense charged in the
misdemeanor complaint, whichever is shorter, the defendant has not
recovered mental competence, the defendant shall be returned to the
committing court. The court shall notify the county mental health
director or his or her designee of the return and of any resulting
court orders.
(2) Whenever any defendant is returned to the court pursuant to
subdivision (b) or paragraph (1) of this subdivision and it appears
to the court that the defendant is gravely disabled, as defined in
subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (h) of Section 5008
of the Welfare and Institutions Code, the court shall order the
conservatorship investigator of the county of commitment of the
defendant to initiate conservatorship proceedings for the defendant
pursuant to Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 5350) of Part 1 of
Division 5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code. Any hearings
required in the conservatorship proceedings shall be held in the
superior court in the county that ordered the commitment. The court
shall transmit a copy of the order directing initiation of
conservatorship proceedings to the county mental health director or
his or her designee and shall notify the county mental health
director or his or her designee of the outcome of the proceedings.
(d) The criminal action remains subject to dismissal pursuant to
Section 1385. If the criminal action is dismissed, the court shall
transmit a copy of the order of dismissal to the county mental health
director or his or her designee.
(e) If the criminal charge against the defendant is dismissed, the
defendant shall be released from any commitment ordered under this
section, but without prejudice to the initiation of any proceedings
which may be appropriate under Part 1 (commencing with Section 5000)
of Division 5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.