Vermont Statutes Title 13 Sec. 4816
Terms Used In Vermont Statutes Title 13 Sec. 4816
- Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
- 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.
- Person: shall include any natural person, corporation, municipality, the State of Vermont or any department, agency, or subdivision of the State, and any partnership, unincorporated association, or other legal entity. See
- State: when applied to the different parts of the United States may apply to the District of Columbia and any territory and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. See
- Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
- Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
§ 4816. Scope of examination; report; evidence
(a) Examinations provided for in section 4815 of this title shall have reference to the mental competency of the person examined to stand trial for the alleged offense.
(b) A competency evaluation for an individual thought to have a developmental disability shall include a current evaluation by a psychologist skilled in assessing individuals with developmental disabilities.
(c) As soon as practicable after the examination has been completed, the examining psychiatrist or, if applicable under subsection (b) of this section, the psychologist shall prepare a report containing findings in regard to the applicable provisions of subsection (a) of this section. The report shall be transmitted to the court issuing the order for examination, and copies of the report sent to the State‘s Attorney, to the respondent, to the respondent’s attorney if the respondent is represented by counsel, to the Commissioner of Mental Health, and, if applicable, to the Department of Disabilities, Aging, and Independent Living.
(d) No statement made in the course of the examination by the person examined, whether or not the person has consented to the examination, shall be admitted as evidence in any criminal proceeding for the purpose of proving the commission of a criminal offense or for the purpose of impeaching testimony of the person examined.
(e) The relevant portion of a psychiatrist’s report shall be admitted into evidence as an exhibit on the issue of the person’s mental competency to stand trial and the opinion shall be conclusive on the issue if agreed to by the parties and if found by the court to be relevant and probative on the issue.
(f) Introduction of a report under subsection (d) of this section shall not preclude either party or the court from calling the psychiatrist who wrote the report as a witness or from calling witnesses or introducing other relevant evidence. Any witness called by either party on the issue of the defendant‘s competency shall be at the State’s expense, or, if called by the court, at the court’s expense. (Added 1969, No. 20, § 3; amended 1995, No. 134 (Adj. Sess.), § 2; 2009, No. 146 (Adj. Sess.), § C25a; 2009, No. 156 (Adj. Sess.), § F.6; 2021, No. 57, § 1; 2023, No. 28, § 4, eff. July 1, 2023.)