Bill Text: NY A01327 | 2025-2026 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Relates to releasing individuals charged with a crime under non-monetary bail conditions in order to receive mental health screening or be admitted to a hospital as a result of a mental illness which is likely to result in harm to such individual or others.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2025-01-09 - referred to codes [A01327 Detail]

Download: New_York-2025-A01327-Introduced.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          1327

                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                     January 9, 2025
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M. of A. SIMON, FORREST, LEVENBERG -- Multi-Sponsored by
          -- M. of A.  CRUZ, GONZALEZ-ROJAS, LUPARDO, OTIS,  ROSENTHAL  --  read
          once and referred to the Committee on Codes

        AN  ACT  to  amend  the criminal procedure law, in relation to releasing
          individuals charged with a crime under non-monetary bail conditions in
          order to receive mental health screening or be admitted to a  hospital
          as  a  result of a mental illness which is likely to result in harm to
          such individual or others; and to repeal subdivision  3-c  of  section
          500.10  of  the  criminal  procedure  law  relating to the release for
          mental health assessment and  evaluation  and  involuntary  commitment
          pending release

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. Subdivision 3-c of section 500.10 of the criminal procedure
     2  law is REPEALED.
     3    § 2. Paragraph (f) of subdivision 3-a of section 500.10 of the  crimi-
     4  nal  procedure  law,  as amended by section 1 of subpart A of part VV of
     5  chapter 56 of the laws of 2023, is amended to read as follows:
     6    (f) that the principal be referred to a pretrial services  agency  for
     7  placement in mandatory programming, including:
     8    (i) counseling[,];
     9    (ii) treatment, including but not limited to [mental health and] chem-
    10  ical dependence treatment[, and];
    11    (iii) intimate partner violence intervention programs[.]; and
    12    (iv)  mental  health  treatment.    The court may expeditiously employ
    13  available resources for mental health screening including but not limit-
    14  ed to a mobile crisis response provider or similar entity in the  court-
    15  house. With regard to mental health treatment:
    16    (1)  Where  applicable,  the court may refer the principal to a crisis
    17  stabilization center or direct that the principal be removed to a hospi-
    18  tal pursuant to subdivisions (a) and (b) of section 9.43 of  the  mental

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD02681-01-5

        A. 1327                             2

     1  hygiene  law[;].    For  purposes  of this subparagraph, where the court
     2  proceeds pursuant to subdivision (a)  of  section  9.43  of  the  mental
     3  hygiene  law, the court is not required to and shall not make a determi-
     4  nation  with  respect to whether the crime has been committed or whether
     5  there is sufficient cause to believe the principal is guilty thereof.
     6    (2) If it appears to the court on the basis of evidence  presented  to
     7  it  that  the person has or may have a mental illness which is likely to
     8  result in serious harm to such person or others, the  court  may  either
     9  (A)  permit  the person to present themself to any hospital specified in
    10  subdivision (a) of section 9.39 of the mental hygiene law or any compre-
    11  hensive psychiatric emergency program specified in  subdivision  (a)  of
    12  section 9.40 of the mental hygiene law, for the person to make an appli-
    13  cation  for admission to the hospital as a voluntary patient pursuant to
    14  section 9.13 of the mental hygiene law;  or  (B)  issue  a  civil  order
    15  directing  their removal to any hospital specified in subdivision (a) of
    16  section 9.39 of the mental hygiene law or any comprehensive  psychiatric
    17  emergency  program  specified  in subdivision (a) of section 9.40 of the
    18  mental hygiene law, that is willing to receive such person for a  deter-
    19  mination,  by  the  director  of  such hospital or program, whether such
    20  person should be retained therein pursuant to section  9.39  or  section
    21  9.40 of the mental hygiene law, as appropriate.
    22    (3)  If the court orders removal to a hospital for immediate psychiat-
    23  ric assessment, the principal may be taken by an entity,  including  but
    24  not  limited  to, an ambulance service, as defined in subdivision two of
    25  section three thousand one of the public health law, any peace  officer,
    26  when acting pursuant to their special duties, or police officer who is a
    27  member  of  the  state  police  or of an authorized police department or
    28  force, or of a sheriff's department, to any hospital specified in subdi-
    29  vision (a) of section 9.39 of the mental hygiene law or  any  comprehen-
    30  sive  psychiatric  emergency  program  specified  in  subdivision (a) of
    31  section 9.40 of the mental hygiene law.
    32    (4) Discharge and aftercare  planning,  including  supportive  housing
    33  referrals,  shall  be  provided  consistent  with federal and state law,
    34  including but not limited to subdivision (g) of  section  29.15  of  the
    35  mental  hygiene  law  and  to the extent that it has the ability to, the
    36  hospital  will  take  appropriate  steps  so  that  community  placement
    37  services  are  provided consistent with federal and state law. Discharge
    38  planning shall begin at admission and continue throughout the course  of
    39  the principal's hospitalization until the principal is discharged.
    40    (5)  If  the  principal  has  met the discharge criteria they shall be
    41  discharged and  offered  a  clinically  appropriate  discharge  plan  in
    42  accordance  with, but not limited to subdivision (g) of section 29.15 of
    43  the mental hygiene law.
    44    (6) If the principal is a child,  then  any  order  for  voluntary  or
    45  involuntary  assessment  shall  be  done  in accordance with section two
    46  hundred fifty-one of the family court act.
    47    (7) The court can, as a condition of release, adjourn to  a  treatment
    48  court for the possibility of evaluation.
    49    (8)  Conditions  of release may not be revoked solely based on noncom-
    50  pliance with treatment  or  clinically  appropriate  discharge  plan  or
    51  aftercare plan;
    52    §  3.  Paragraphs  (i) and (j) of subdivision 3-a of section 500.10 of
    53  the criminal procedure law, paragraph (i) as added and paragraph (j)  as
    54  amended  by  section 1 of part UU of chapter 56 of the laws of 2020, are
    55  amended and a new paragraph (k) is added to read as follows:

        A. 1327                             3

     1    (i) that the principal obey conditions set by the court  addressed  to
     2  the  safety of a victim of a family offense as defined in section 530.11
     3  of this title including conditions that may be requested by or on behalf
     4  of the victim; [and]
     5    (j)  that,  when  it is shown pursuant to paragraph (a) of subdivision
     6  four of section 510.40 of this title that no other  realistic  non-mone-
     7  tary condition or set of non-monetary conditions will suffice to reason-
     8  ably assure the principal's return to court, the principal's location be
     9  monitored  with  an approved electronic monitoring device, in accordance
    10  with such subdivision four of section 510.40 of this title[.]; and
    11    (k) any clinical record or clinical information produced as a part  of
    12  the assessment, service or treatment plans required pursuant to subpara-
    13  graph  (iv) of paragraph (f) of this subdivision, or any clinical record
    14  or clinical information used or produced in a proceeding conducted under
    15  subparagraph (iv) of paragraph (f) of this subdivision, shall be consid-
    16  ered confidential and shall not be considered part of the public record,
    17  and access to such records shall be limited in accordance with  applica-
    18  ble  federal  and state privacy laws. Such information shall not be used
    19  as part of the criminal proceeding and shall be expunged upon resolution
    20  of the case.
    21    § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
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