Procedimiento para la colocación de acusados no delincuentes

Explicación Simple

Si alguien es acusado de un delito menor y se determina que no está mentalmente competente, el juez puede enviar a esa persona a un centro de salud mental. Esto ayuda a que se recupere y pueda entender el proceso legal. Hay diferentes opciones sobre dónde y cómo se puede tratar a la persona.

Es como llevar a un amigo que se siente mal a un médico para que lo ayude a sentirse mejor antes de que pueda volver a jugar al fútbol.

Ejemplo Práctico

Imagina que Juan es acusado de un delito menor, pero el juez descubre que no puede entender lo que está pasando debido a un problema de salud mental. El juez decide que Juan debe ser enviado a un centro de salud mental por dos semanas para recibir tratamiento. Después de eso, Juan puede volver a casa, pero necesita seguir recibiendo ayuda.

Texto Original del Estatuto (Inglés)

(1)(a) If the defendant is charged with a nonfelony crime which is a serious offense as identified in RCW 10.77.092 and found by the court to be not competent, then the court shall order the secretary to place the defendant:(i) At a secure mental health facility in the custody of the department or an agency designated by the department for mental health treatment and restoration of competency. The placement shall not exceed fourteen days in addition to any unused time of the evaluation under RCW 10.77.060. The court shall compute this total period and include its computation in the order. The fourteen-day period plus any unused time of the evaluation under RCW 10.77.060 shall be considered to include only the time the defendant is actually at the facility and shall be in addition to reasonable time for transport to or from the facility;(ii) On conditional release for up to ninety days for mental health treatment and restoration of competency; or(iii) Any combination of this subsection.(b)(i) If the proceedings are dismissed under RCW 10.77.084 and the defendant was on conditional release at the time of dismissal, the court shall order the designated mental health professional within that county to evaluate the defendant pursuant to chapter 71.05 RCW. The evaluation may be conducted in any location chosen by the professional.(ii) If the defendant was in custody and not on conditional release at the time of dismissal, the defendant shall be detained and sent to an evaluation and treatment facility for up to seventy-two hours, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, for evaluation for purposes of filing a petition under chapter 71.05 RCW. The seventy-two-hour period shall commence upon the next nonholiday weekday following the court order and shall run t