At all hearings conducted by the probate judge in relation to a petition to commit any person to the custody of the Alabama Department of Public Health or such other facility as the court may order, the following rules shall apply:
(1) The person sought to be committed shall be present unless, prior to the hearing, the attorney for such person has filed in writing a waiver of the presence of such person on the ground that the presence of such person would be dangerous to such person's health or that such person's conduct could reasonably be expected to prevent the hearing from being held in an orderly manner, and the probate judge has judicially found and determined from evidence presented in an adversary hearing that the person proposed to be committed is so mentally or physically ill as to be incapable of attending such proceedings. Upon such findings, an order shall be entered approving the waiver.
(2) The person sought to be committed shall have the right to compel the attendance of any witness who may be located anywhere in the State of Alabama and to offer evidence including the testimony of witnesses, to be confronted with the witnesses in support of the petition, to cross-examine and to testify in his own behalf, but no such person shall be compelled to testify against himself. The attorney representing the person sought to be committed shall be vested with all rights of said person during all of the hearings if such person is not present in court to exercise his rights.
(3) The probate judge shall cause the hearing to be transcribed or recorded stenographically, mechanically, or electronically and shall retain such transcription for a period of not less than three years from the date the petition is denied or granted and not less than the duration of any commitment pursuant to such hearing.
(4) All hearings shall be heard by the probate judge and shall be open to the public unless the person sought to be committed or his attorney requests in writing that the hearings be closed to the public.
(5) The rules of evidence applicable in other judicial proceedings in this state shall be followed in involuntary commitment proceedings.
Copyright ©2024 LegalFix. All rights reserved. LegalFix is not a law firm, is not licensed to practice law, and does not provide legal advice, services, or representation. The information on this website is an overview of the legal plans you can purchase—or that may be provided by your employer as an employee benefit or by your credit union or other membership group as a membership benefit.
LegalFix provides its members with easy access to affordable legal services through a network of independent law firms. LegalFix, its corporate entity, and its officers, directors, employees, agents, and contractors do not provide legal advice, services, or representation—directly or indirectly.
The articles and information on the site are not legal advice and should not be relied upon—they are for information purposes only. You should become a LegalFix member to get legal services from one of our network law firms.
You should not disclose confidential or potentially incriminating information to LegalFix—you should only communicate such information to your network law firm.
The benefits and legal services described in the LegalFix legal plans are not always available in all states or with all plans. See the legal plan Benefit Overview and the more comprehensive legal plan contract during checkout for coverage details in your state.
Use of this website, the purchase of legal plans, and access to the LegalFix networks of law firms are subject to the LegalFix Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.