New York statute
N.Y. Criminal Procedure Law § 730.30 — Fitness to proceed; order of examination
Current through 2026 legislative session (LBDC text via OpenLegislation as of 2026-07-17)
Part of Article 730: Mental Disease or Defect Excluding Fitness to Proceed, New York Criminal Procedure Law.
Full text of N.Y. Criminal Procedure Law § 730.30
Statutory text current through the 2026 legislative session (LBDC text via OpenLegislation as of 2026-07-17). This publication reproduces the text of the Consolidated Laws of New York as provided by the New York State Senate's Open Legislation service (Legislative Bill Drafting Commission statutory text); it is not the official statutes of the State of New York.
730.30 Fitness to proceed; order of examination.
1. At any time after a defendant is arraigned upon an accusatory
instrument other than a felony complaint and before the imposition of
sentence, or at any time after a defendant is arraigned upon a felony
complaint and before he is held for the action of the grand jury, the
court wherein the criminal action is pending must issue an order of
examination when it is of the opinion that the defendant may be an
incapacitated person.
2. When the examination reports submitted to the court show that each
psychiatric examiner is of the opinion that the defendant is not an
incapacitated person, the court may, on its own motion, conduct a
hearing to determine the issue of capacity, and it must conduct a
hearing upon motion therefor by the defendant or by the district
attorney. If no motion for a hearing is made, the criminal action
against the defendant must proceed. If, following a hearing, the court
is satisfied that the defendant is not an incapacitated person, the
criminal action against him must proceed; if the court is not so
satisfied, it must issue a further order of examination directing that
the defendant be examined by different psychiatric examiners designated
by the director.
3. When the examination reports submitted to the court show that each
psychiatric examiner is of the opinion that the defendant is an
incapacitated person, the court may, on its own motion, conduct a
hearing to determine the issue of capacity and it must conduct such
hearing upon motion therefor by the defendant or by the district
attorney.
4. When the examination reports submitted to the court show that the
psychiatric examiners are not unanimous in their opinion as to whether
the defendant is or is not an incapacitated person, or when the
examination reports submitted to the superior court show that the
psychiatric examiners are not unanimous in their opinion as to whether
the defendant is or is not a dangerous incapacitated person, the court
must conduct a hearing to determine the issue of capacity or
dangerousness.
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