Art. 869.1. Appointment of sanity commission; qualifications

A.(1) Within seven days after a mental examination is ordered, the court shall appoint a sanity commission to examine and report upon the mental condition of the child. The sanity commission shall consist of at least two and not more than three physicians. Not more than one member of the commission shall be the coroner or any one of his deputies. The court may appoint, in lieu of one physician, a psychologist.

(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 forensic evaluation of children.

(3) The order appointing the sanity commission shall set the time and date of the contradictory hearing within sixty days if the child is in a secure detention facility and otherwise within seventy-five days.

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 commission members shall have free access to the child at all reasonable times. The court shall issue a subpoena for the attendance of witnesses to be interviewed by the examiner at the request of the child, the commission, or any member thereof.

D. For the purpose of the mental examination, the court may order a child previously released on bail to appear for any mental examination and hearing 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 2008, No. 222, §1, eff. June 16, 2008.