North Carolina General Statutes 122C-268.1. Inpatient commitment; hearing following automatic commitment
Terms Used In North Carolina General Statutes 122C-268.1
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Habeas corpus: A writ that is usually used to bring a prisoner before the court to determine the legality of his imprisonment. It may also be used to bring a person in custody before the court to give testimony, or to be prosecuted.
- in writing: may be construed to include printing, engraving, lithographing, and any other mode of representing words and letters: Provided, that in all cases where a written signature is required by law, the same shall be in a proper handwriting, or in a proper mark. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
- state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories, so called; and the words "United States" shall be construed to include the said district and territories and all dependencies. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
- Transcript: A written, word-for-word record of what was said, either in a proceeding such as a trial or during some other conversation, as in a transcript of a hearing or oral deposition.
- Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
- Venue: The geographical location in which a case is tried.
(a) A respondent who is committed pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 15A-1321 shall be provided a hearing, unless waived, before the expiration of 50 days from the date of his commitment.
(b) The district attorney in the county in which the respondent was found not guilty by reason of insanity may represent the State‘s interest at the hearing, rehearings, and supplemental rehearings. Notwithstanding the provisions of N.C. Gen. Stat. § 122C-269, if the district attorney elects to represent the State’s interest, upon motion of the district attorney, the venue for the hearing, rehearings, and supplemental rehearings shall be the county in which the respondent was found not guilty by reason of insanity. If the district attorney declines to represent the State’s interest, then the representation shall be determined as follows. An attorney, who is a member of the staff of the Attorney General assigned to one of the State’s facilities for the mentally ill or the psychiatric service of the University of North Carolina Hospitals at Chapel Hill, may represent the State’s interest at commitment hearings, rehearings, and supplemental hearings. Alternatively, the Attorney General may, in his discretion, designate an attorney who is a member of his staff to represent the State’s interest at any commitment hearing, rehearing, or supplemental hearing.
(c) The clerk shall give notice of the time and place of the hearing as provided in N.C. Gen. Stat. § 122C-264(d1).
(d) The respondent shall be represented by counsel of his choice, or if he is indigent within the meaning of N.C. Gen. Stat. § 7A-450 or refuses to retain counsel if financially able to do so, he shall be represented by counsel appointed in accordance with rules adopted by the Office of Indigent Defense Services.
(e) With the consent of the court, counsel may in writing waive the presence of the respondent.
(f) Certified copies of reports and findings of physicians and psychologists and previous and current medical records are admissible in evidence, but the respondent’s right to confront and cross-examine witnesses may not be denied.
(g) The hearing shall take place in the trial division in which the original trial was held. The hearing shall be open to the public. For purposes of this subsection, “trial division” means either the superior court division or the district court division of the General Court of Justice.
(h) A copy of all documents admitted into evidence and a transcript of the proceedings shall be furnished to the respondent on request by the clerk upon the direction of the presiding judge. If the respondent is indigent, the copies shall be provided at State expense.
(i) The respondent shall bear the burden to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that he (i) no longer has a mental illness as defined in N.C. Gen. Stat. § 122C-3(21), or (ii) is no longer dangerous to others as defined in N.C. Gen. Stat. § 122C-3(11)b. If the court is so satisfied, then the court shall order the respondent discharged and released. If the court finds that the respondent has not met his burden of proof, then the court shall order that inpatient commitment continue at a 24-hour facility designated pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 122C-252 for a period not to exceed 90 days. The court shall make a written record of the facts that support its findings.
(j) Nothing in this section shall limit the respondent’s right to habeas corpus relief. (1991, c. 37, s. 2; 1991 (Reg. Sess., 1992), c. 1034, ss. 2, 3; 1995, c. 140, s. 1; 2000-144, s. 40.)