Section 2966 Of Article 4. Disposition Of Mentally Disordered Prisoners Upon Discharge From California Penal Code >> Title 1. >> Part 3. >> Chapter 7. >> Article 4.
2966
. (a) A prisoner may request a hearing before the Board of
Prison Terms, and the board shall conduct a hearing if so requested,
for the purpose of proving that the prisoner meets the criteria in
Section 2962. At the hearing, the burden of proof shall be on the
person or agency who certified the prisoner under subdivision (d) of
Section 2962. If the prisoner or any person appearing on his or her
behalf at the hearing requests it, the board shall appoint two
independent professionals as provided for in Section 2978. The
prisoner shall be informed at the hearing of his or her right to
request a trial pursuant to subdivision (b). The Board of Prison
Terms shall provide a prisoner who requests a trial, a petition form
and instructions for filing the petition.
(b) A prisoner who disagrees with the determination of the Board
of Prison Terms that he or she meets the criteria of Section 2962,
may file in the superior court of the county in which he or she is
incarcerated or is being treated a petition for a hearing on whether
he or she, as of the date of the Board of Prison Terms hearing, met
the criteria of Section 2962. The court shall conduct a hearing on
the petition within 60 calendar days after the petition is filed,
unless either time is waived by the petitioner or his or her counsel,
or good cause is shown. Evidence offered for the purpose of proving
the prisoner's behavior or mental status subsequent to the Board of
Prison Terms hearing shall not be considered. The order of the Board
of Prison Terms shall be in effect until the completion of the court
proceedings. The court shall advise the petitioner of his or her
right to be represented by an attorney and of the right to a jury
trial. The attorney for the petitioner shall be given a copy of the
petition, and any supporting documents. The hearing shall be a civil
hearing; however, in order to reduce costs, the rules of criminal
discovery, as well as civil discovery, shall be applicable. The
standard of proof shall be beyond a reasonable doubt, and if the
trial is by jury, the jury shall be unanimous in its verdict. The
trial shall be by jury unless waived by both the person and the
district attorney. The court may, upon stipulation of both parties,
receive in evidence the affidavit or declaration of any psychiatrist,
psychologist, or other professional person who was involved in the
certification and hearing process, or any professional person
involved in the evaluation or treatment of the petitioner during the
certification process. The court may allow the affidavit or
declaration to be read and the contents thereof considered in the
rendering of a decision or verdict in any proceeding held pursuant to
subdivision (b) or (c), or subdivision (a) of Section 2972. If the
court or jury reverses the determination of the Board of Prison
Terms, the court shall stay the execution of the decision for five
working days to allow for an orderly release of the prisoner.
(c) If the Board of Prison Terms continues a parolee's mental
health treatment under Section 2962 when it continues the parolee's
parole under Section 3001, the procedures of this section shall only
be applicable for the purpose of determining if the parolee has a
severe mental disorder, whether the parolee's severe mental disorder
is not in remission or cannot be kept in remission without treatment,
and whether by reason of his or her severe mental disorder, the
parolee represents a substantial danger of physical harm to others.