10 U.S.C. § 876b — Art. 76b. Lack of mental capacity or mental responsibility: commitment of accused for examination and treatment

(a) Persons Incompetent To Stand Trial .— (1) In the case of a person determined under this chapter to be presently suffering from a mental disease or defect rendering the person mentally incompetent to the extent that the person is unable to understand the nature of the proceedings against that person or to conduct or cooperate intelligently in the defense of the case, the general court-martial convening authority for that person must commit the person to the custody of the Attorney General. (2) The Attorney General must take action in accordance with section 4241(d) of title 18 . (3) If at the end of the period for hospitalization provided for in section 4241(d) of title 18 , it is determined that the committed person’s mental condition has not so improved as to permit the trial to proceed, action must be taken in accordance with section 4246 of such title. (4) (A) When the director of a facility in which a person is hospitalized under paragraph (2) determines that the person has recovered to such an extent that the person is able to understand the nature of the proceedings against the person and to conduct or cooperate intelligently in the defense of the case, the director must promptly send a notification of that determination to the Attorney General and to the general court-martial convening authority for the person. The director must send a copy of the notification to the person’s counsel. (B) Upon receipt of a notification, the general court-martial convening authority must promptly take custody of the person unless the person covered by the notification is no longer subject to this chapter. If the person is no longer subject to this chapter, the Attorney General must take any action within the authority of the Attorney General that the Attorney General considers appropriate regarding the person. (C) The director of the facility may retain custody of the person for not more than 30 days after sending the notifications required by subparagraph (A). (5) In the application of section 4246 of title 18 to a case under this subsection, references to the court that ordered the commitment of a person, and to the clerk of such court, must be treated as refer to the general court-martial convening authority for that person. However, if the person is no longer subject to this chapter at a time relevant to the application of such section to the person, the United States district court for the district where the person is hospitalized or otherwise may be found must be considered as the court that ordered the commitment of the person. (b) Persons Found Not Guilty by Reason of Lack of Mental Responsibility .— (1) If a person is found by a court-martial not guilty only by reason of lack of mental responsibility, the person must be committed to a suitable facility until the person is eligible for release in accordance with this section. (2) The court-martial must conduct a hearing on the mental condition in accordance with subsection (c) of section 4243 of title 18 . Subsections (b) and (d) of that section must apply about the hearing. (3) A report of the results of the hearing must be made to the general court-martial convening authority for the person. (4) If the court-martial fails to find by the standard specified in subsection (d) of section 4243 of title 18 that the person’s release would not create a substantial risk of bodily injury to another person or serious damage of property of another due to a present mental disease or defect— (A) the general court-martial convening authority may commit the person to the custody of the Attorney General; and (B) the Attorney General must take action in accordance with subsection (e) of section 4243 of title 18 . (5) Subsections (f), (g), and (h) of section 4243 of title 18 must apply in the case of a person hospitalized under paragraph (4)(B), except that the United States district court for the district where the person is hospitalized must be considered as the court that ordered the person’s commitment. (c) General Provisions .— (1) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection and subsection (d)(1), the provisions of section 4247 of title 18 apply in the administration of this section. (2) In the application of section 4247(d) of title 18 to hearings conducted by a court-martial under this section or by (or by order of) a general court-martial convening authority under this section, the reference in that section to section 3006A of such title does not apply. (d) Applicability .— (1) The provisions of chapter 313 of title 18 referred to in this section apply according to the provisions of this section notwithstanding section 4247(j) of title 18 . (2) If the status of a person as described in section 802 of this title (article 2) terminates while the person is, under this section, in the custody of the Attorney General, hospitalized, or on conditional release under a prescribed regimen of medical, psychiatric, or psychological care or treatment, the provisions of this section establishing requirements and procedures regarding a person no longer subject to this chapter must continue to apply to that person notwithstanding the change of status.