Art. 834. Appointment of competency commission; qualifications

A.(1) Within seven days after a mental competency examination is ordered, the court shall appoint a competency commission to examine and report on the mental condition of the child. The competency commission shall consist of at least one and not more than three persons who are physicians or psychologists. If only one member is appointed, the court upon request of the district attorney or counsel for the child, shall appoint another member. Not more than one commission member shall be the coroner or his deputy.

(2) Every person appointed to the commission shall be licensed in his field in Louisiana, have been in the actual practice of medicine or clinical or counseling psychology for not less than three consecutive years immediately preceding the appointment, have expertise in child development specific to severe chronic disability of children attributable to intellectual impairment, and be qualified by training or experience in the forensic evaluation of children.

(3) The order appointing the competency commission shall set the time and date of the contradictory hearing to determine the mental capacity of the child to proceed as provided in Article 836.

B. If no psychologist is appointed to the commission and one of the appointed physicians determines that psychological testing is needed, upon request of the commission the court shall appoint a psychologist to the commission.

C. The members of the commission appointed to make the examination shall have free access to the child at all reasonable times. The court shall issue a subpoena for the attendance of witnesses at the examination upon the request of the child, the commission, or any member thereof.

D. For the purpose of the mental competency examination, the court may order a child previously released on bail to appear for any mental examinations and hearings authorized by this Chapter.

E. The clerk of court shall give written notice of the time and date of the contradictory hearing and all continuances to the Louisiana Department of Health, bureau of legal services.

Acts 1991, No. 235, §8, eff. Jan. 1, 1992; Acts 1992, No. 705, §1, eff. July 6, 1992; Acts 2004, No. 485, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2005; Acts 2006, No. 266, §1; Acts 2008, No. 222, §1, eff. June 16, 2008.