, , , , , , , ,

PD9 and GCD Host Capital Defense Conference in Orlando: Telling the Client’s Story

The Georgia Capital Defenders had scheduled a great October CLE program in Savannah captioned “Telling the Client’s Story,” but had complications which prevented them from going forward. We contacted GCD and offered to put on their program…
, , , ,

Charged with a Tampa Murder 20 Years Ago, He Still Awaits Trial

He lives in a dorm room in a tan and white building surrounded by metal fences and razor wire. The institution sits on a grassy patch south of Miami, at the edge of the Everglades, almost at the edge of the Sunshine State. His days are spent…
, ,

Restoring Mental Competency: Who Really Benefits? – The Crime Report

Today, states spend hundreds of millions on evaluating and restoring the “mental competency” of individuals to stand trial. But such restoration is a far cry from the comprehensive mental health treatment needed by defendants who many experts…
, , ,

State Will Not Seek Death Penalty Against John Jonchuck, Accused of Throwing Daughter Off Bridge – ABC Action News

Due to John Jonchuck's history of mental health problems, the Office of the State Attorney for the Sixth Judicial Circuit has decided not to seek death in the 2015 homicide of Jonchuck's daughter. Read more.
, , ,

Howell Donaldson III Ruled Competent Stand Trial in Seminole Heights Killings – The Tampa Bay Times

If Howell Emanuel Donaldson III suffers from mental illness, it is not enough to halt the legal proceedings against him. Weeks after the serial murder defendant underwent three separate psychological examinations, a judge deemed him competent…
, , , , ,

NACDL Meeting & Seminar: Decoding & Litigating Mental Health Issues – October 24-27

NACDL's 2018 Fall Meeting & Seminar,"Decoding & Litigating Mental Health Issues" will be held at the Hyatt Regency in Savannah, GA, October 24-27, 2018. Experts estimate that between 55 and 75% of all incarcerated people suffer…
, , ,

Mental Competency Exam Ordered for Man Accused of Mowing Down New Tampa Family – The Tampa Bay Times

  TAMPA — A doctor will determine whether the man accused of running down and killing a New Tampa father is too mentally ill to face trial. A judge Friday appointed a psychiatrist to examine Mikese Morse, after a defense attorney…
, , , , ,

McCoy v. Louisiana: New Challenges for Defenders, New Risks for the Mentally Ill – The George Washington Law Review

In Florida v. Nixon, Justice Ginsburg wrote for a unanimous Supreme Court that a defense lawyer who conceded his client’s guilt as a strategic tactic was not ineffective because the defendant had remained “unresponsive” to his lawyer’s…
, , , , , , ,

Some Veterans Worry a PTSD Diagnosis Will Force Them to Choose: Treatment or Their Guns – The Huffington Post

Despite assurance from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, some veterans worry that diagnosis and treatment of PTSD will result in the government seizing their firearms. Read more.