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H.B. 414

This document includes House Committee Amendments incorporated into the bill on Mon, Feb 20, 2006 at 2:45 PM by chopkin. -->              1     

PETITION FOR INVOLUNTARY MEDICATION

             2     
OF INCOMPETENT PERSON

             3     
2006 GENERAL SESSION

             4     
STATE OF UTAH

             5     
Chief Sponsor: Scott L Wyatt

             6     
Senate Sponsor: Gregory S. Bell

             7     
             8      LONG TITLE
             9      General Description:
             10          This bill modifies the Code of Criminal Procedure to establish the procedure for
             11      judicial determination of when an incompetent defendant should be medicated
             12      involuntarily.
             13      Highlighted Provisions:
             14          This bill:
             15          .    requires that the Department of Human Services advise the court, prosecutor, and
             16      defense counsel if the defendant, who has been found incompetent and has been
             17      committed to the department for treatment, is not responding to treatment without
             18      involuntary medication;
             19          .    establishes criteria the Department of Human Services is to address in evaluating
             20      the defendant;
             21          .    requires that upon receipt of notice from the Department of H. [ Health ] Human
             21a      Services .H , the court shall
             22      schedule a hearing regarding if the defendant should be ordered to be involuntarily
             23      medicated and provides criteria the court shall consider;
             24          .    provides a standard of clear and convincing evidence for the judicial determination;
             25      and
             26          .    limits application of this bill to when the sole purpose for considering involuntary
             27      medication is to render the defendant competent to proceed with the criminal trial.


             28      Monies Appropriated in this Bill:
             29          None
             30      Other Special Clauses:
             31          None
             32      Utah Code Sections Affected:
             33      ENACTS:
             34          77-15-6.5, Utah Code Annotated 1953
             35     
             36      Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
             37          Section 1. Section 77-15-6.5 is enacted to read:
             38          77-15-6.5. Petition for involuntary medication of incompetent defendant.
             39          (1) As used in this section:
             40          (a) "Executive director" means the executive director of the Department of Human
             41      Services or the executive director's designee.
             42          (b) "Final order" means a court order that determines the rights of the parties and
             43      concerning which appellate remedies have been exhausted or the time for appeal has expired.
             44          (2) (a) At any time after a defendant has been found incompetent to proceed and has
             45      been committed to the Department of Human Services under Section 77-15-6 for treatment to
             46      restore competency, the executive director shall notify the court, prosecuting attorney, and
             47      attorney for the defendant if the executive director has determined that the defendant is not
             48      responding to treatment and is unlikely to be restored to competency without the involuntary
             49      administration of antipsychotic medication.
             50          (b) The executive director shall provide the notification under Subsection (2)(a) only if
             51      there is no basis for involuntarily medicating the defendant for reasons other than to restore the
             52      defendant's competency.
             53          (3) In the notice under Subsection (2)(a), the executive director shall H. [ address ]
             53a      state .H whether H. the executive director believes .H :
             54          (a) medication is necessary to render the defendant competent;
             55          (b) medication is substantially likely to render the defendant competent;
             56          (c) medication is substantially unlikely to produce side effects which would
             57      significantly interfere with the defendant's ability to assist in his defense;
             58          (d) H. [ any ] no .H less intrusive means are available, and H. [ if so, if ] whether .H
             58a      any of those means have been


             59      attempted to render the defendant competent; and
             60          (e) medication is medically appropriate and is in the defendant's best medical interest
             61      in light of his medical condition.
             62          (4) (a) Upon receipt of the notice under Subsection (2)(a), the court shall conduct a
             63      hearing within H. [ 15 ] 30 .H days, unless the court extends the time for good cause, to
             63a      determine whether
             64      the court should convene a hearing regarding the involuntary medication of the defendant.
             65          (b) The court shall conduct an involuntary medication hearing according to the
             66      procedures outlined in Subsections 62A-15-631 (9)(b) through (9)(f).
             67          (c) The prosecuting attorney shall represent the state at any hearing under this section.
             68          (d) The court shall consider whether the following factors apply in determining
             69      whether the defendant should be involuntarily medicated:
             70          (i) important state interests are at stake in restoring the defendant's competency;
             71          (ii) involuntary medication will significantly further the important state interests, in
             72      that the medication proposed:
             73          (A) is substantially likely to render the defendant competent to stand trial; and
             74          (B) is substantially unlikely to produce side effects which would significantly interfere
             75      with the defendant's ability to assist the defense counsel in conducting his defense;
             76          (iii) involuntary medication is necessary to further important state interests, because
             77      any alternate less intrusive treatments are unlikely to achieve substantially the same results; and
             78          (iv) the administration of the proposed medication is medically appropriate, as it is in
             79      the defendant's best medical interest in light of his medical condition.
             80          (5) In determining whether the proposed treatment is medically appropriate and is in
             81      the defendant's best medical interest, the potential penalty the defendant may be subject to, if
             82      the defendant is convicted of any charged offense, is not a relevant consideration.
             83          (6) (a) If the court finds by clear and convincing evidence that the involuntary
             84      administration of antipsychotic medication is appropriate, it shall make findings addressing
             85      each of the factors in Subsection (4)(d) and shall issue an order authorizing the Department of
             86      Human Services to involuntarily administer antipsychotic medication to the defendant in order
             87      to restore his competency, subject to the periodic reviews and other procedures provided in
             88      Section 77-15-6 .
             89          (b) When issuing an order under Subsection (6)(a), the court shall consider ordering


             90      less intrusive means for administering the drugs, such as a court order to the defendant
             91      enforceable by the contempt power, before ordering more intrusive methods of involuntary
             92      medication.
             93          (7) The provisions in Section 77-15-6 establishing time limitations for treatment of
             94      incompetent defendants before they must be either released or civilly committed are tolled
             95      from the time the executive director gives notice to the court and the parties under Subsection
             96      (2) until:
             97          (a) H. [ the court determines the outcome of treatment administered pursuant to a final
             98      order issued under Subsection (6)(a)
] the court has issued a final order for the involuntary

             98a      medication of the defendant, .H and the defendant has been H. [ involuntarily ] .H
             98b      medicated under
             99      that H. [ final ] .H order; or
             100          (b) H. [ the court determines that involuntary medication is not appropriate ] the court has
             100a      issued a final order that the defendant will not be involuntarily medicated .H .
             101          (8) This section applies only when the prosecution seeks an order of involuntary
             102      medication solely for the purpose of rendering a defendant competent to proceed.




Legislative Review Note
    as of 2-10-06 8:28 AM


Based on a limited legal review, this legislation has not been determined to have a high
probability of being held unconstitutional.

Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel


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