Chair Brooks-Powers questions MOCJ on 730 competency restoration process reforms
Brooks-Powers asks what steps MOCJ has taken to speed up the 730 process for people unfit to stand trial. Jill Starashevsky describes working with OCA to eliminate adjournment delays by requiring clerks to share evaluation reports within 24 hours.
What steps, if any, has Mach J taken to speed up and reform the
730 process for people who may not be competent to stand trial?
7.30 is definitely a challenge, and we have worked with stakeholders.
I'd actually like the first deputy of our office, since she's the one who helped facilitate this one, to have the opportunity to take her flowers for being able to work through one of the challenges.
She'd come to the days.
We just need to swear her in.
Can you state your name for the record?
Jill Starashevsky.
Thank you.
Do you affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth before this committee and respond honestly to council member questions?
I do.
Okay, go ahead.
Thank you for the question.
The issue is that when someone is found unfit for a trial,
As you know, the process is the person needs to be transferred to OMH facility for restoration.
There is currently a backlog in that process in the fact that there is not enough beds for the transfer.
So what we've been trying to do is to assess different ways to shorten that transfer time for those found unfit, as well as trying to develop a robust...
We've been exploring outpatient restoration models.
So we've been working with our partners at CHS and with the DAs and the defenders to try to figure out what we could do there.
And perhaps most importantly, what we've done is we've worked with our partners at OCA to take certain steps to make it so that when the
evaluation, the 730 evaluation report is given to the court.
There used to be a delay that the court received the report and then there was an adjournment
where the report was given to the prosecutor and then the defense attorney would be given it in court and that would then require another adjournment because the defense attorney had to have the opportunity to review the evaluation report.
Working with our partners, we were able to make it so that now the way it works is when the 730 evaluation report is given to the court, the clerk is required within 24 hours to share that report with both the prosecutor and the defense, and that
really alleviates...
sometimes one, sometimes two adjournments.
And so that helps to expedite the court process.
Thank you for that.