Criminal
Dec. 16, 2015
State high court clarifies proper hearsay use in mentally disordered offender hearings
Last week, the California Supreme Court said an expert could not rely on hearsay reports to prove a defendant committed a commitment offense under the state's Mentally Disordered Offender Act. By Frank Loo
Frank M. Loo
San Bernardino Public Defender's OfficeFrank is a former civil attorney and prosecutor. His opinions are his own and not of any other entity.
Last week, in People v. Stevens, 2015 DJDAR 13187 (Dec. 10, 2015), the California Supreme Court said an expert could not rely on hearsay reports to prove a defendant committed a commitment offense under the state's Mentally Disordered Offender Act.
The MDO act authorizes civil commitment during parole if certain conditions are met. It "requires that an offender convicted of a specified felony related to a severe mental ...
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