Sec. 17a-582. (Formerly Sec. 17-257c). Confinement of acquittee for examination. Court order of commitment to board or discharge.
Sec. 17a-582. (Formerly Sec. 17-257c). Confinement of acquittee for examination. Court order of commitment to board or discharge. (a) When any person charged
with an offense is found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect pursuant to
section 53a-13, the court shall order such acquittee committed to the custody of the
Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services who shall cause such acquittee
to be confined, pending an order of the court pursuant to subsection (e) of this section,
in any of the state hospitals for psychiatric disabilities or to the custody of the Commissioner of Developmental Services, for an examination to determine his mental condition.
(b) Not later than sixty days after the order of commitment pursuant to subsection
(a) of this section, the superintendent of such hospital or the Commissioner of Developmental Services shall cause the acquittee to be examined and file a report of the examination with the court, and shall send a copy thereof to the state's attorney and counsel for
the acquittee, setting forth the superintendent's or said commissioner's findings and
conclusions as to whether the acquittee is a person who should be discharged.
(c) Not later than ten days after receipt of such superintendent's or said commissioner's report, either the state's attorney or counsel for the acquittee may file notice of
intent to perform a separate examination of the acquittee. An examination conducted
on behalf of the acquittee may be performed by a psychiatrist or psychologist chosen
by the acquittee and shall be performed at the acquittee's expense unless the acquittee
is indigent. If the acquittee is indigent, the court shall provide the acquittee with the
services of a psychiatrist or psychologist to perform the examination at the expense of
the state. The superintendent or said commissioner who conducted the initial examination shall, not later than five days after a request of any party conducting a separate
examination pursuant to this subsection, release to such party all records and reports
compiled in the initial examination of the acquittee. Any separate examination report
shall be filed with the court not later than thirty days after the filing with the court of
the initial examination report by the superintendent or said commissioner.
(d) The court shall commence a hearing not later than fifteen days after its receipt
of any separate examination report or if no notice of intent to perform a separate examination has been filed under subsection (c) of this section, not later than twenty-five days
after the filing of such initial examination report.
(e) At the hearing, the court shall make a finding as to the mental condition of the
acquittee and, considering that its primary concern is the protection of society, make
one of the following orders:
(1) If the court finds that the acquittee is a person who should be confined or conditionally released, the court shall order the acquittee committed to the jurisdiction of the
board and either confined in a hospital for psychiatric disabilities or placed with the
Commissioner of Developmental Services, for custody, care and treatment pending a
hearing before the board pursuant to section 17a-583; provided (A) the court shall fix
a maximum term of commitment, not to exceed the maximum sentence that could have
been imposed if the acquittee had been convicted of the offense, and (B) if there is reason
to believe that the acquittee is a person who should be conditionally released, the court
shall include in the order a recommendation to the board that the acquittee be considered
for conditional release pursuant to subdivision (2) of section 17a-584; or
(2) If the court finds that the acquittee is a person who should be discharged, the
court shall order the acquittee discharged from custody.
(f) At the hearing before the court, the acquittee shall have the burden of proving by
a preponderance of the evidence that the acquittee is a person who should be discharged.
(g) An order of the court pursuant to subsection (e) of this section may be appealed
by the acquittee or the state's attorney to the Appellate Court. The court shall so notify
the acquittee.
(h) During any term of commitment to the board, the acquittee shall remain under
the jurisdiction of the board until discharged by the court pursuant to section 17a-593.
Except as provided in subsection (c) of said section, the acquittee shall be immediately
discharged at the expiration of the maximum term of commitment.
(i) On committing an acquittee to the jurisdiction of the board, the court shall advise
the acquittee of the right to a hearing before the board in accordance with section
17a-583.
(P.A. 85-506, S. 3, 32; P.A. 87-486, S. 2; P.A. 95-257, S. 11, 48, 58; P.A. 06-91, S. 2; P.A. 07-73, S. 2(b).)
History: P.A. 87-486 amended Subsec. (a) to permit the court to commit the acquittee to the custody of the commissioner
of mental retardation, amended Subsecs. (b) and (c) to add references to the commissioner of mental retardation, and
amended Subsec. (e) to include the situation where the court finds that the acquittee is a person who should be conditionally
released and to permit the court to commit the acquittee to the jurisdiction of the board for placement with the commissioner
of mental retardation; Sec. 17-257c transferred to Sec. 17a-582 in 1991; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner and Department of Mental Health with Commissioner and Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and substituted
"psychiatric disabilities" for "mental illness", effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 06-91 amended Subsec. (b) by making a technical
change and extending, from 45 to 60 days, the time period for examining an acquittee committed to the custody of the
Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services following an order of commitment, and amended Subsecs. (c), (d)
and (f) by making technical changes; pursuant to P.A. 07-73 "Commissioner of Mental Retardation" was changed editorially
by the Revisors to "Commissioner of Developmental Services", effective October 1, 2007.
Annotations to former section 17-257c:
Cited. 211 C. 591.
Subsec. (e):
Subdiv. (1) cited. 12 CA 32; 15 CA 74; judgment reversed, see 211 C. 591. Subdiv. (1)(A) cited. 20 CA 96.
Annotations to present section:
Cited. 230 C. 400.
Subsec. (a):
Finding required of the court by Subsec. (c) is plain and unambiguous. 88 CA 125.
Subsec. (e):
Court must make required findings of fact, which include that acquitee is a danger to himself or others because of
psychiatric disability, before ordering commitment to jurisdiction of psychiatric review board, and case must be remanded
for articulation of basis for decision. 95 CA 31.