SB2801 Summary

• Requires all forensic interviews conducted by examiners retained by the State or defense to be videotaped unless impractical; courts may consider lack of compliance only in weighing testimony credibility, not admissibility.

• Modifies fitness evaluation timelines for defendants charged with misdemeanors to match the sentence length of the most serious offense, rather than the one-year standard for felonies.

• Establishes that defendants placed in Department of Human Services facilities must be placed in secure settings without exception, removing previous language allowing courts to determine if secure placement is unnecessary.

• Authorizes administration of psychotropic medication over a defendant's objections in accordance with the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Code, with petitions filed in the county where the defendant is located.

• Clarifies reporting requirements for treatment supervisors and removes provisions allowing transfers to non-secure settings or discretionary placement decisions, establishing mandatory secure placement protocols.