533.276 Clinical assessment for behavioral disorder -- Conduct -- Treatment
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/ky/533-276A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
referral -- Requirements of Commonwealth's attorney when considering
individual's participation in pilot program -- Agreement.
(a)Following arrest, and within seventy-two
(72)hours after being booked into a
jail or detention facility, any person who has been charged with a qualifying
offense shall undergo a clinical assessment to determine if he or she may have
a behavioral health disorder.
(b)The Cabinet for Health and Family Services shall provide a list of approved
assessors in accordance with KRS 533.284 for each county participating in the
pilot program.
(c)The jailer or his or her designee shall contact a qualified mental health
professional from the list of approved assessors for the county provided under
paragraph
(b)of this subsection, and shall advise the qualified mental health
professional that a clinical assessment is needed.
(d)If a person has been charged with a qualifying offense and has been released
prior to receiving a clinical assessment, he or she individually, or through his
or her counsel, if any, may request a clinical assessment by a qualified mental
health professional at any time during the proceedings from the list of
approved assessors provided under paragraph
(b)of this subsection.
(e)Notwithstanding any other provision to the contrary, the clinical assessment
may be conducted through telehealth or in person, whether the person charged
is in the custody of the jail or has been released.
(f)If the qualified mental health professional determines that the person being
assessed is physically or psychologically impaired to the extent that he or she
cannot provide sufficient information or responses to conduct or complete the
assessment, the assessment may be delayed but only for the time required for
the person to adequately respond.
(g)No statement or other disclosure made by the person charged in the course of
the clinical assessment shall be admissible in a criminal trial unless the trial is
for a crime committed during the assessment; however, nothing in this
subsection shall be interpreted to prevent any reporting required by law or as
an implied waiver of applicable privacy laws and professional standards
regarding confidentiality.
(h)Any referral for treatment shall be based upon the clinical assessment and a
finding by the qualified mental health professional that treatment is medically
necessary.
(i)The treatment referral shall be forwarded to the attorney for the
Commonwealth and the attorney for the person charged, if any, within forty-
eight
(48)hours of the assessment.
(j)The failure of the assessor to forward the referral to the attorney for the
Commonwealth or the attorney for the person charged, if any, within forty-
eight
(48)hours shall not result in automatic release of the person charged.
(k)Nothing in this subsection shall be interpreted to create a duty of the jailer to
pay for any costs associated with the clinical assessment.
(2)At any time following arrest, the Commonwealth's attorney if the underlying charge
includes a felony, or the county attorney if the underlying charge only includes a
misdemeanor, and the person charged may agree to the individual's participation in
the behavioral health conditional dismissal program.
(3)When an individual is being considered for the behavioral health conditional
dismissal program, the attorney for the Commonwealth shall:
(a)Have a criminal record check made to ascertain if the person is eligible for the
program;
(b)Consult with the victim of the crime if there is an identified victim;
(c)Explain the behavioral health conditional dismissal program to the victim,
including potential terms and conditions, and any other matter the attorney for
the Commonwealth deems to be appropriate, including the right of the victim
to submit a written statement that shall be included in the record placed under
seal under KRS 533.280; and
(d)Conduct any other investigation that the attorney for the Commonwealth
determines may be necessary to assist him or her in agreeing to the referral for
treatment by the qualified mental health professional and the defendant's
participation in the behavioral health conditional dismissal program.
(4)If the defendant agrees to the terms of the individualized treatment plan, which shall
include restitution, and the attorney for the Commonwealth agrees to the defendant's
participation in the program, the defendant and the attorney for the Commonwealth
shall sign an agreement specifying the terms and conditions. If the defendant is
represented by counsel, defense counsel shall also sign the agreement.
(5)The length of the program shall be determined by the qualified mental health
professional in collaboration with the provider and the type of program based upon
the assessment and shall not:
(a)Be less than one
(1)year in duration unless discharged earlier by the provider
upon satisfactory completion of the recommended treatment plan with
agreement of the attorney for the Commonwealth after consultation with the
victim and with agreement of the defendant; or
(b)Exceed a period of time longer than the defendant's maximum potential period
of incarceration if found guilty of the offenses charged unless the defendant
agrees in writing to an extension of the treatment period.
(6)A defendant participating in the behavioral health conditional dismissal program
shall not be required to:
(a)Plead guilty or enter an Alford plea as a condition for participation in the
program; or
(b)Make any statement or stipulate to any statement relating to evidence in the
underlying case as a condition for participation in the program.
(7)Execution of the agreement by the defendant shall toll all further proceedings
against the defendant relating to the agreement, except the matter may be set for a
status review at the discretion of the court.
(8)Upon execution of the agreement as provided in subsection
(4)of this section, the
defendant shall present himself or herself for treatment no later than three
(3)days
after the agreement is signed. The attorney for the Commonwealth shall:
(a)Notify the treatment provider of the agreement and the effective date; and
(b)Provide the victim, if there is an identified victim, with notice that an
agreement has been reached for the defendant's participation in the behavioral
health conditional dismissal program, and the terms of the agreement that are
applicable to the victim.
(9)If the defendant remains in custody at the time of the agreement, the court shall
order release of the defendant which shall not include a requirement of cash bail.
(10)The charges against the defendant shall proceed with ordinary prosecution upon
dismissal of the defendant from the treatment program by the provider for
noncompliance.