Post by Logan on Jun 26, 2016 7:40:04 GMT -6
Court rejects prosecutor role in mental health custody decisions
A Vermont Supreme Court decision issued last week provides some clarity on the overlap of the mental health system and the criminal justice system.
At the heart of the case was a question: What say do prosecutors have in determining how long someone who was found insane or incompetent to stand trial should stay in the custody of the Department of Mental Health?
The court’s decision says that once a person is in the department’s custody, only the commissioner can petition for that custody to continue.
The filing in the state’s top court stemmed from two Bennington County cases involving defendants who were found either incompetent to stand trial or insane at the time of the offense.
Read more: vtdigger.org/2016/06/22/court-rejects-prosecutor-role-in-mental-health-custody-decisions/
A Vermont Supreme Court decision issued last week provides some clarity on the overlap of the mental health system and the criminal justice system.
At the heart of the case was a question: What say do prosecutors have in determining how long someone who was found insane or incompetent to stand trial should stay in the custody of the Department of Mental Health?
The court’s decision says that once a person is in the department’s custody, only the commissioner can petition for that custody to continue.
The filing in the state’s top court stemmed from two Bennington County cases involving defendants who were found either incompetent to stand trial or insane at the time of the offense.
Read more: vtdigger.org/2016/06/22/court-rejects-prosecutor-role-in-mental-health-custody-decisions/