FL S0944

Authorizes admitting physicians at forensic and civil facilities to continue psychotherapeutic medications for individuals who received them in jail and lack capacity to consent, with facility petition to court required within 5 days of admission for continued court-ordered treatment.

Establishes 30-day timeframe for status hearings after court receives notification that a defendant is competent to proceed or no longer meets criteria for continued commitment under involuntary commitment provisions.

Requires dismissal of charges against defendants adjudicated incompetent to proceed due to mental illness if they remain incompetent 5 years after determination, unless court specifies reasons for believing competency is foreseeable, with exceptions for violent felonies and crimes with identifiable victims who do not consent to dismissal.

Permits charges to be dismissed between 3 and 5 years after incompetency determination for offenses not listed in the exemptions, which include murder, sexual battery, robbery, arson, armed burglary, and firearm-related offenses.

Effective date: July 1, 2014.