House Judiciary Committee advances draft S.193 amendment to create forensic facility, debates safeguards for competency cases

The House Judiciary Committee on April 16 reviewed draft 1.1 of S.193, a bill that would create a forensic facility and set procedures for defendants found incompetent to stand trial or found not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI). Committee members, Legislative Counsel and outside advisers debated how frequently courts should re‑evaluate competency, when forensic risk assessments must be done, who must carry out assessments and how the statute should protect defendants’ constitutional rights.