Guide to Mental Health Forensic Processes

Practitioners Guide for Mental Health

Download the Practitioners Guide for Mental Health - Feb 2022 (PDF, 1.5 MB) (Full Guide)

Individual Chapters

1. Introduction (PDF, 43.3 KB)

2. Defining mental health and cognitive impairment (PDF, 113.2 KB)

3. Taking instructions and giving advice (PDF, 184.3 KB)

4. Expert witnesses (PDF, 122.2 KB)

5. Raising fitness (PDF, 102.1 KB)

6. The fitness inquiry (PDF, 180.9 KB))

7. The special hearing (PDF, 114.6 KB)

8. Mental health and cognitive impairment defences in a criminal trial (PDF, 180.4 KB)

9. Commonwealth provisions (PDF, 213.4 KB)

10. The role of the Mental Health Review Tribunal (PDF, 85.9 KB)

11. Summary jurisdiction (PDF, 299.6 KB)

12. Appeals (PDF, 100.4 KB)

13. Extension orders (PDF, 117.7 KB)

Appendices (PDF, 169.2 KB)

Procedural Flow Charts

• Unfitness to be Tried Procedural Flow Chart - State (PDF, 278.3 KB)
• Defence of Mental Health or Cognitive Impairment Procedural Flow Chart - State (PDF, 239.6 KB)
• Unfitness to be Tried Procedural Flow Chart - Commonwealth (PDF, 352.5 KB)
• Defence of Mental Illness Procedural Flow Chart - Commonwealth (PDF, 281.9 KB)

• Summary of Significant Changes - March 2021 (PDF, 209.1 KB)

Booklets for helping impaired clients understand

Below are links to two booklets produced by Legal Aid NSW.  They are in very simplified form and are about limiting terms and findings of "act proven but not criminally responsible", including the concepts, consequences and processes. 

They are designed for use by practitioners and others to help provide explanations and advice to clients whose comprehension may be impaired.

• Limiting Term
• Act proven but not criminally responsible