Michigan House Fiscal Agency analyzes bills to cap competency exam delays at the state forensic center
The Michigan House Fiscal Agency's legislative analysis of House Bills 5244 and 5246 laid out proposals to put firm clocks on competency examinations. HB 5246 would require exams to be completed within a reasonable period not to exceed 45 days, with extensions of 15 days for good cause, and HB 5244 would permit only one 15-day extension of the 60-day deadline for written reports. The analysis describes the Center for Forensic Psychiatry as a 210-bed state-run facility that provides diagnostic services to the criminal justice system and treatment for criminal defendants.
The agency called the fiscal impact indeterminate because it depends on how often the center currently misses the new limits, and it offered no wait-time baseline. Three groups testified in support: the Alliance for Safety and Justice, Citizens Alliance on Prisons and Public Spending, and the West Michigan Policy Forum. Michigan Votes records that HB 5244 passed the House 107-2 on February 28, 2018 and went to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The bills followed the November 2017 introduction already in this archive and sought to address evaluation delays through statutory deadlines rather than new capacity.
Source: Examinations to Determine Incompetency to Stand Trial — Michigan House Fiscal Agency
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