The Senate Judiciary Committee heard SB 405 authored by Sen. Walker on funding for defendant examinations. The bill requires the Office of Judicial Administration to establish and administer a program to provide a regional pool of mental health examiners who are available for appointment upon request by a court to conduct a competency examination of a defendant and mental health evaluations following notice of an insanity defense in a criminal case. The bill also amends the current law concerning the number of individuals who a court is required to appoint in these circumstances (except in a case of a notice of an insanity defense in a homicide case, which remains unchanged).
The Johnson County Prosecutor and the Indiana Public Defender Council testified in support of the bill. The bill passed 10-0 and will be recommitted to Appropriations.
Read the bill at https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2023/bills/senate/405