Bill Text: NY S05516 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Relates to the determination of capacity to stand trial in juvenile delinquency proceedings in family court.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Passed) 2019-12-06 - SIGNED CHAP.602 [S05516 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-S05516-Amended.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         5516--A
            Cal. No. 766

                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                       May 3, 2019
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen.  MONTGOMERY  --  (at request of the Office of Court
          Administration) -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to
          be committed to the Committee on Children  and  Families  --  reported
          favorably  from  said  committee,  ordered to first and second report,
          amended on second report, ordered  to  a  third  reading,  and  to  be
          reprinted  as amended, retaining its place in the order of third read-
          ing

        AN ACT to amend the family court act and  the  mental  hygiene  law,  in
          relation  to  the determination of capacity to stand trial in juvenile
          delinquency proceedings in family court

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section  1. Subdivision 1 of section 322.1 of the family court act, as
     2  amended by chapter 566 of the laws  of  1994,  is  amended  to  read  as
     3  follows:
     4    1. At any proceeding under this article, the court must issue an order
     5  that  the  respondent  be  examined as provided herein when it is of the
     6  opinion that the respondent may be  an  incapacitated  person.  Notwith-
     7  standing  the  provisions of this or any other law, the court may direct
     8  that the examination be conducted on an outpatient basis [when].  If the
     9  respondent is [not] in custody at the time the court issues an order  of
    10  examination,  the  examination  may  be conducted at the place where the
    11  respondent is being held in custody. The  court  shall  order  that  two
    12  qualified  psychiatric  examiners  as  defined  in  subdivision seven of
    13  section 730.10 of the criminal procedure law examine the  respondent  to
    14  determine  if  he  or  she  is  diagnosed  to be mentally ill, [mentally
    15  retarded or] intellectually or developmentally disabled.
    16    § 2. Subdivision 4, paragraphs (a), (c) and (d) of subdivision  5  and
    17  subdivisions  6 and 7 of section 322.2 of the family court act, subdivi-
    18  sions 4, 6 and 7 and paragraph (c) of subdivision 5 as added by  chapter
    19  920  of  the  laws of 1982, paragraph (a) of subdivision 5 as amended by

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD09846-03-9

        S. 5516--A                          2

     1  section 69 of part WWW of chapter 59 of the laws of 2017, and  paragraph
     2  (d)  of  subdivision 5 as amended by chapter 41 of the laws of 2010, are
     3  amended to read as follows:
     4    4. If the court finds that there is probable cause to believe that the
     5  respondent committed a misdemeanor, the respondent shall be committed to
     6  the  custody of the appropriate commissioner for a reasonable period not
     7  to exceed ninety days. Unless the court specifies that  such  commitment
     8  shall be in a residential facility, such commissioner having custody may
     9  arrange  for  treatment in an appropriate facility or program, including
    10  an outpatient program, in accordance with  subdivision  (e)  of  section
    11  7.09  or  subdivision (c-1) of section 13.09 respectively, of the mental
    12  hygiene law. The court shall dismiss the petition on the issuance of the
    13  order of commitment and such dismissal shall constitute a bar to further
    14  prosecution of the charge or charges contained in the petition.
    15    (a) If the court finds that there is probable cause  to  believe  that
    16  the respondent committed a felony, it shall order the respondent commit-
    17  ted  to  the custody of the commissioner of mental health or the commis-
    18  sioner of the office for people with developmental disabilities  for  an
    19  initial  period  not  to  exceed  one  year from the date of such order.
    20  Unless the court specifies that such commitment shall be in  a  residen-
    21  tial  facility,  such commissioner having custody may arrange for treat-
    22  ment in an appropriate facility  or  program,  including  an  outpatient
    23  program,  in accordance with subdivision (e) of section 7.09 or subdivi-
    24  sion (c-1) of section 13.09 respectively, of  the  mental  hygiene  law.
    25  Such  period  may  be  extended annually upon further application to the
    26  court by the commissioner having custody or his or her designee.    Such
    27  application  must  be made not more than sixty days prior to the expira-
    28  tion of such period on forms that have  been  prescribed  by  the  chief
    29  administrator  of  the  courts. At that time, the commissioner must give
    30  written notice of the application to the respondent, the counsel repres-
    31  enting the respondent and  the  mental  hygiene  legal  service  if  the
    32  respondent  is  at a residential facility. Upon receipt of such applica-
    33  tion, the court must conduct a hearing to determine the issue of capaci-
    34  ty. If, at the conclusion of a hearing conducted pursuant to this subdi-
    35  vision, the court finds that the respondent is no longer  incapacitated,
    36  he  or she shall be returned to the family court for further proceedings
    37  pursuant to this article. If the court is satisfied that the  respondent
    38  continues  to  be  incapacitated,  the  court  shall authorize continued
    39  custody of the respondent by the commissioner in a facility  or  program
    40  for  a period not to exceed one year. Such extensions shall not continue
    41  beyond a reasonable period of time necessary to  determine  whether  the
    42  respondent will attain the capacity to proceed to a fact finding hearing
    43  in  the  foreseeable  future  but  in no event shall continue beyond the
    44  respondent's eighteenth birthday or, if  the  respondent  was  at  least
    45  sixteen years of age when the act was committed, beyond the respondent's
    46  twenty-first birthday.
    47    (c)  [If  the court finds that there is probable cause to believe that
    48  the respondent has committed a designated felony act,  the  court  shall
    49  require  that treatment be provided in a residential facility within the
    50  appropriate office of the department of mental hygiene.
    51    (d)] The commissioner shall review the  condition  of  the  respondent
    52  within  forty-five days after the respondent is committed to the custody
    53  of the commissioner. He or she shall make a second review within  ninety
    54  days  after the respondent is committed to his or her custody. Thereaft-
    55  er, he or she shall review the condition of the respondent every  ninety
    56  days.  The respondent and the counsel for the respondent, shall be noti-

        S. 5516--A                          3

     1  fied  of  any  such  review and afforded an opportunity to be heard. The
     2  commissioner having custody shall  apply  to  the  court  for  an  order
     3  dismissing  the  petition  whenever he or she determines that there is a
     4  substantial probability that the respondent will continue to be incapac-
     5  itated  for  the foreseeable future. At the time of such application the
     6  commissioner must give written notice of the application to the respond-
     7  ent, the presentment agency and the mental hygiene legal service if  the
     8  respondent  is  at a residential facility. Upon receipt of such applica-
     9  tion, the court may on its own motion conduct  a  hearing  to  determine
    10  whether  there  is  substantial  probability  that  the  respondent will
    11  continue to be incapacitated for the foreseeable  future,  and  it  must
    12  conduct  such  hearing if a demand therefor is made by the respondent or
    13  the mental hygiene legal service within ten  days  from  the  date  that
    14  notice of the application was given to them. The respondent may apply to
    15  the court for an order of dismissal on the same ground.
    16    6.  Any order pursuant to this section dismissing a petition shall not
    17  preclude an application for voluntary or involuntary care and  treatment
    18  in  a facility or program of the appropriate office of the department of
    19  mental hygiene pursuant to the provisions of  the  mental  hygiene  law.
    20  Unless  the respondent is admitted pursuant to such an application he or
    21  she shall be released.
    22    7. If the commissioner having custody of a child committed to a  resi-
    23  dential facility pursuant to subdivision four or paragraph (a) of subdi-
    24  vision  five  of this section determines at any time that such child may
    25  be more appropriately treated in a non-residential  facility  or  on  an
    26  outpatient  basis,  he  or  she  may  arrange for such treatment. If the
    27  commissioner having custody of a child committed to a residential facil-
    28  ity pursuant to subdivisions four or five of this section determines  at
    29  any  time that such child may be more appropriately treated in a non-re-
    30  sidential facility or on an outpatient basis, he or she may petition the
    31  family court for a hearing. If the court  finds  after  a  hearing  that
    32  treatment  in a non-residential facility or on an outpatient basis would
    33  be more appropriate for such child, the court shall modify its order  of
    34  commitment  to [authorize] direct the commissioner to transfer [of such]
    35  the child to a non-residential facility or arrange outpatient treatment.
    36  Application for [such] a hearing to determine whether any child  commit-
    37  ted  to  a  residential facility under subdivisions four or five of this
    38  section may be more appropriately treated in a non-residential  facility
    39  or on an outpatient basis may be made by the respondent.
    40    §  3.  Subdivision  (e)  of section 7.09 of the mental hygiene law, as
    41  amended by chapter 920 of the laws of 1982 and as relettered by  chapter
    42  509 of the laws of 1988, is amended to read as follows:
    43    (e) The commissioner shall accept custody of a juvenile under an order
    44  issued  by  the family court pursuant to the provisions of section 322.2
    45  of the family court act. He or she may place the juvenile in any  appro-
    46  priate  facility or program under his or her jurisdiction, but he or she
    47  shall comply with any order requiring treatment in a residential facili-
    48  ty made pursuant to [paragraph (c)  of]  subdivision  four  or  five  of
    49  section  322.2  of  the family court act. In determining the appropriate
    50  placement, the commissioner shall be furnished with a copy of the  find-
    51  ings  of the court pursuant to subdivision four or five of section 322.2
    52  of the family court act and shall consider the nature of the act alleged
    53  in such findings and the level of the juvenile's mental disability.  The
    54  commissioner  shall  review  the condition of the juvenile in accordance
    55  with the requirements of section 322.2 of the family court act and he or

        S. 5516--A                          4

     1  she may petition the family court at any time for any relief  authorized
     2  by such section.
     3    §  4.  Subdivision  (c) of section 13.09 of the mental hygiene law, as
     4  amended by chapter 920 of the laws  of  1982,  is  amended  to  read  as
     5  follows:
     6    [(c)]  (c-1) The commissioner shall accept custody of a juvenile under
     7  an order issued by the  family  court  pursuant  to  the  provisions  of
     8  section  322.2 of the family court act. He or she may place the juvenile
     9  in any appropriate facility or program under his  or  her  jurisdiction,
    10  but he or she shall comply with any order requiring treatment in a resi-
    11  dential facility made pursuant to [paragraph (c) of] subdivision four or
    12  five of section 322.2 of the family court act. In determining the appro-
    13  priate placement, the commissioner shall be furnished with a copy of the
    14  findings  of  the  court pursuant to subdivision four or five of section
    15  322.2 of the family court act and shall consider the nature of  the  act
    16  alleged in such findings and the level of the juvenile's mental disabil-
    17  ity.  The  commissioner  shall  review  the condition of the juvenile in
    18  accordance with the requirements of section 322.2 of  the  family  court
    19  act  and  he  or  she  may petition the family court at any time for any
    20  relief authorized by such section.
    21    § 5. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day  after  it  shall
    22  have  become a law; provided, however, that the amendments made to para-
    23  graph (a) of subdivision 5 of section 322.2 of the family court act made
    24  by section two of this act shall take effect on the same date and in the
    25  same manner as section 69 of part WWW of chapter 59 of the laws of 2017,
    26  takes effect.
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