How to get a Court Ordered Mental Health Evaluation
Before any accused person stands in court, he must be mentally stable and capable of facing the court. So, getting the mental health evaluation per the court order is a must.
But how to get a court-ordered mental health evaluation? Any verified psychiatrist or doctor approved by the court can conduct the evaluation. There are some questions that the defendant will answer. These questions are just basics to determine the perfect mental condition of the accused person.
When the judge approves the evaluation, the defendant will be presented before the court as per the reports. But this isn’t that simple. Getting the evaluation is a complicated and vast process. Hopefully, this article will enlighten you about it.
How to get a Court Ordered Mental Health Evaluation
A court-ordered mental health evaluation is a report to be submitted to the court regarding the persons involved in the whole procedure of the court. It can be one or more parties, including the defendant, the prosecution party, and others.
It is a must for the defendant to present a court-ordered evaluation if he/she has been a drug addict, alcohol consumer, etc. before. To stand up to the court, these factors need to be verified and cleared by proper medical reports.
Only doctors and psychiatrists can approve and check the evaluations. They have to be recognized and well-approved by the judge of the court. Only then they can testify to the reports of their patients.
A report produced by doctors or testified by mental health exams will give the state of the person's mental health. Also, it will give a brief on the person's psychological condition along with his sanity and functional level.
Court-ordered evaluation for mental health is a must for a person filed a lawsuit or is accused of a crime. Child custody is sometimes considered for the words and proper documentation of the court proceedings.
Court-Ordered Mental Health Evaluation Process
Whenever mental health evaluation comes into court, there are two ways to conduct the evaluation, by interview and by hearing.
By Interview
Interviewing the defendant is a method of checking the mental state. Usually, a doctor or a group of medical specialists do that. They ask some questions about the defendant and overview past medical reports.
Sometimes, some written tests are also taken. Not that stressful stuff, just a glimpse of knowing the person's mental state. That's it.
By Hearing
The accused person will be asked several questions before the judge. His proper answer will speak for himself. The question might include his past criminal history, any other mentionable incidents, or the current state of his mind.
Based on that evaluation, the mental state of the person in the court will be finalized and presented as a report.
Aim of Court-Ordered Mental Health Evaluation
The main aim of court-ordered evaluation for mental health is to testify to the proper state of the victim and other persons involved in the case. This assures that the accused speaks in a sane mind with helpful information without any delusional influence.
And the court proceedings may only go further when they are confirmed with all medical reports regarding a person's mental health. Would the court ever accept a mentally unstable person's opinion there? No.
Mental evaluation is also one of the most crucial factors for juvenile offense court hearings and sessions. Any underage trial considers the first factor for legal prosecutions in the court.
Who Can Go for a Court-Ordered Evaluation
Court-ordered evaluation is permitted and imposed on the party who wants to assess the opposition. The person ordering the evaluation is called the petitioner in legal terminology.
This party may request the evaluation if they think the opposition needs to be insane mind for the whole court proceedings as each opinion and verdict of the court matters here. Then the final decision lies at the court's discretion.
Some of the familiar evaluators of the request by the petitioners include the following groups:
Prosecutors
The defendant's mental state assurance is a must in court proceedings. Without that, there won't be any legit or to-the-point proceedings. And the prosecutor can request the evaluation of the defendant based on his recent medical checkups and the proper outcome of court proceedings.
Ensuring the prosecution's proper mental condition and health is essential in court proceedings. No way any of the members should be morally affected by the trials. So, the evaluation is carried out to imply to the state.
Defense Attorneys
This is not for any accusation but to ensure that the proper attorney is regulating the court proceeding in support of the defendant. This is important because whatever is coming from the defense attorney is a document of the whole court proceeding. And that makes a massive impact on the outcome of the court.
So, it is necessary that the persons engaging and making the part of the court favorable should be mentally safe and sound. Also, it ensures that the attorney is in no state to break down mentally amid any court proceedings or actions.
Plaintiff’s Counsel
This is a countercase here. The plaintiff's counsel usually requests a mental health evaluation to extend the court proceedings further. It is his job to protect the defendant, and he does that as a part of the mental health checkup.
Likewise, it makes some time for the court sessions and enables the plaintiff's counsel to gather more information on his favor inside the court.
But sometimes, it also works when determining that whatever the client is speaking comes from a sane and proper state.
Requesting a Court Ordered Evaluation
The court's lawyers follow proper etiquette to the judge for requesting a mental health evaluation. A form requires detailed information about the person to be evaluated.
The form comes with the name of the person to evaluate, the reason for such evaluations, and the type of evaluation. Also, it includes specific inclusion of the proofs of the evaluation to present before the court.
Apart from that, the evaluated person's record of any previous court proceedings, mental checkups, past psychiatrist report (if any), and disabilities (if any) is a must to include with the evaluation report.
Online Mental Health Assessment
There are no obligations that the evaluation has to take place in person. Any doctor or psychiatrist can conduct the session online via video call or other means.
Also, just because a doctor takes the assessment offline doesn't mean he'll do his best. Some good doctors might not be available offline for the session but are willing to conduct it online. The court will approve it.
Morally, the court doesn't care about the session being online or offline. It's just that the reports have to be accurate with proper evaluations. If it's OK, it will work. Otherwise, it won't.
When to Use a Court-Ordered Evaluation?
Not all the time you'll see the court ordering the mental health evaluation. It is only a particular case that requires the conduct. Let's say the mental health evaluation is needed when:
- If the defendant or the accused person is disable
- If the accused person has any record of psychiatrist sessions
- If the accused person has any mental disorders
Pros and Cons of Court-Ordered Mental Health Evaluation
Doing the mental health evaluation got both sides of the coin out there. We figured out the pros and cons here:
Pros:
- Making an objective case in favor
- Assuring the unbiased state of the defendant
- Disclosing the mental state of the defendant to the whole court
- Making the trial based on the mental health of the defendant
Cons:
- It is expensive to make the evaluation
- Time-consuming
- If the evaluation is unfavorable to the party, the case will go down to them
Additional Tips to Follow during Court Ordered Evaluation
Whenever there is any matter regarding the court-ordered mental health evaluation, there are certain things to keep in mind. Otherwise, the whole thing might go wrong, and the final evaluation might not come in favor.
Tips to bear:
- Only trained and experienced professionals are allowed to conduct the evaluation. Be it a doctor or any specialized psychiatrist, the recognition should be taken legally from the judge.
- No tough questions are to be asked of the defendant. There are chances that the defendant might already be under pressure, so no extra pressure should be imposed on him. It might affect further court trials based on his statements.
- Whatever the questions are, they should be answered appropriately. The judge is clever, so he'll get any kind of fishy or suspicious answer. You better be honest throughout the whole evaluation.
- No past mental certificate, ongoing treatment, or psychiatrist sessions should be hidden. These won't impact the case out of the defendant's favor. Instead, the whole procedure will work accordingly.
- If any order comes for a mental health evaluation, it should be cleared as soon as possible. Trying to skip it will not favor you in the long run whatsoever.
Final Words
Getting a court-ordered mental evaluation is essential for any mentally unstable person before the court. It assures that the person is testified based on his mental capability.
Most of the time, it is seen that the party in favor gets most of the cases with lighter trials. But, if the other side goes wrong, harsh trials might not be good. So, the evaluation should be done by experts who know how to get a court-ordered mental health evaluation and has done it many times in the past.