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Senate committee advances bill shortening competency-evaluation timelines, adds initial hearing
Summary
A Georgia Senate committee advanced SB132, which would require an initial court hearing when competency to stand trial is raised and shorten evaluation and restoration deadlines for certain non-serious misdemeanors; prosecutors may object to automatic dismissal.
At a Georgia Senate committee meeting, lawmakers advanced Senate Bill 132, which would require a judge to hold an initial hearing when competency to stand trial is raised and shorten evaluation and restoration deadlines for certain non-serious misdemeanors.
Supporters say the measure aims to reduce the time people spend in jail waiting for competency evaluations and restoration treatment, where long DBHDD wait lists can leave defendants incarcerated for months. The bill is carried as LC 492240S.
The bill requires an initial court hearing when a question of competency is raised so a judge can determine whether a Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) evaluation is necessary. It shortens the statutory evaluation clock for certain non-serious misdemeanor cases from 90 days to 45…
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