Senate Judiciary weighs S.193 to create forensic facility for competency restoration and post-NGRI care

The Vermont Senate Judiciary Committee on Feb. 13 heard extended testimony on S.193, a proposal to establish a forensic facility to provide competency restoration and a structured track after not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI) verdicts.

Dominica Padula, chief of the criminal division at the Vermont Attorney General's Office, told the committee Vermont lacks statutory mechanisms used in other states to restore competency and supervise people after an NGRI verdict. "We, unlike 49 other states, do not have a way to assist somebody to gain that access to due process the way that everyone else does," Padula said, urging the committee to view the measure as a starting point to address gaps in the criminal-mental‑health interface.

Padula said the bill envisions two functions: an early-stage competency restoration track to teach defendants about court processes and enable them to assist in their defense, and a separate, secured post‑verdict…