(a) The court shall adjourn or continue a hearing for failure to timely notify a person entitled to be notified unless the court determines that the interests of justice require that the hearing continue without adjournment or continuance.

Terms Used In Hawaii Revised Statutes 334-126

  • Adjourn: A motion to adjourn a legislative chamber or a committee, if passed, ends that day's session.
  • Allegation: something that someone says happened.
  • Community mental health center: means one or more facilities which alone or in conjunction with other facilities, public or private, are part of a coordinated program providing a variety of mental health services principally for persons residing in a community or communities in or near which the center is located. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 334-1
  • Continuance: Putting off of a hearing ot trial until a later time.
  • Court: means any duly constituted court and includes proceedings, hearings of per diem judges as authorized by law. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 334-1
  • 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.
  • Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
  • Mental health: means a state of social, psychological, and physical well-being, with capacity to function effectively in a variety of social roles. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 334-1
  • Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
  • 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.
  • Treatment: means the broad range of emergency, out-patient, intermediate, domiciliary, and inpatient services and care, including diagnostic evaluation, medical, psychiatric, psychological, and social service care, vocational rehabilitation, career counseling, and other special services which may be extended to handicapped persons. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 334-1
(b) The time and form of the procedure incident to hearing the issues in the petition shall be provided by family court rule and consistent with this part.
(c) Hearings may be held at any convenient place within the circuit. The subject of the petition, any interested party, or the family court upon its own motion may request a hearing in another court because of inconvenience to the parties, witnesses, or the family court or because of the subject’s physical or mental condition. The court may use online hearings to accommodate the needs of the parties and witnesses, in accordance with family court rules.
(d) The hearing shall be closed to the public, unless the subject of the petition requests otherwise. Individuals entitled to notice are entitled to be present in the courtroom or other approved location for the hearing and to receive a copy of the hearing transcript or recording, unless the court determines that the interests of justice require otherwise.
(e) The subject of the petition shall not be required to be present at the hearing; provided that the subject has been served with the petition and the appointed guardian ad litem, or existing guardian, is present to represent the best interests of the subject through the proceedings.
(f) If the subject of the petition is represented by their own attorney, the attorney shall be allowed adequate time for investigation of the matters at issue and for preparation, and shall be permitted to present the evidence that the attorney believes necessary for a proper disposition of the proceeding.
(g) No subject of the petition shall be ordered to receive assisted community treatment unless at least one psychiatrist or advanced practice registered nurse with prescriptive authority and who holds an accredited national certification in an advanced practice registered nurse psychiatric specialization testifies in person at the hearing who has personally assessed the subject, within a reasonable time before the filing of the petition up to the time when the psychiatrist or advanced practice registered nurse with prescriptive authority and who holds an accredited national certification in an advanced practice registered nurse psychiatric specialization provides oral testimony at court. The testimony of the psychiatrist or advanced practice registered nurse with prescriptive authority and who holds an accredited national certification in an advanced practice registered nurse psychiatric specialization shall state the facts which support the allegation that the subject meets all the criteria for assisted community treatment, provide a written treatment plan, which shall include non-mental health treatment if appropriate, provide the rationale for the recommended treatment, and identify the designated mental health program responsible for the coordination of care.

If the recommended assisted community treatment includes medication, the testimony of the psychiatrist or advanced practice registered nurse with prescriptive authority and who holds an accredited national certification in an advanced practice registered nurse psychiatric specialization shall describe the types or classes of medication which should be authorized, and describe the physical and mental beneficial and detrimental effects of such medication.

(h) The subject of the petition may secure a psychiatric examination and present the findings as evidence at the hearing. The subject shall be entitled to a psychiatric examination at a community mental health center if the subject so desires, and if an examination has not already been conducted at a community mental health center which will lead to psychiatric testimony at the hearing.