CO SB019

Court-ordered mental condition examinations in criminal cases involving Class 1 or Class 2 felonies or felony sex offenses must be video and audio recorded and preserved.

Defendant-requested examinations under court order must also be video and audio recorded, with recordings provided to prosecution and court.

Psychiatrists or forensic psychologists may decline or stop recording if they determine it would cause mental or physical harm to the defendant or others, or render the examination not useful, with written documentation required.

Recordings of psychometric testing using copyrighted material are exempt from the recording requirement.

$62,831 appropriated to the Department of Human Services for 2016-17, including $18,292 for mental health institute staffing and equipment at Pueblo; effective January 1, 2017.