This bill would change the process that a court must follow when the sanity of a defendant is in question. The key change would be that the question of whether the defendant committed the act would need to be considered and recorded, even where they are found to be insane at the time of the offending. This bill would also rename the verdict recorded by courts from ‘not guilty on account of insanity’ to ‘the acts or omissions are proven but the defendant is not criminally responsible on account of insanity’.

This bill would also allow certain victims of insane offenders to request documentation officially stating the offender is insane. These victims could then write to the Minister about whether the offender should be in detention. They could also write to the mental health Review Tribunal to request a review of the offender’s condition. This bill would also ensure that victims of legally insane offenders be notified if the offender leaves a secure health care facility unescorted.

Tell the Justice Committee what you think

Make a submission on the bill. The date submissions will close will be decided on after the 2020 General Election.

For more details about the bill:

Read the full content of the bill

Get more details about the bill

What’s been said in Parliament about the bill?

Follow the committee’s Facebook page for updates
 

© Scoop Media