HB 515 Alabama House · 2026 Regular Session

Criminal defendants with mental illnesses; civil inpatient commitment guidelines for criminal defendants further provided

This bill expands the legal definition of criminal defendants with mental illnesses to include individuals who are found incompetent to stand trial and cannot be restored to competency. It limits how long the Department of Mental Health can provide custody, care, and treatment for these individuals to the maximum possible prison sentence they could receive for the charged crime, with exceptions for capital murder cases or when civil commitment criteria are still met. The legislation also includes technical updates to align the code language with current style conventions. These changes directly affect the state's mental health system and the judicial process for handling mentally ill defendants in Alabama.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Feb 26, 2026 Last action Feb 26, 2026
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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
2
Key actions
1
Committee
1
Feb 26, 2026
Lower · Passed
Pending Committee Action in House of Origin (Judiciary)
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Ron Bolton
Ron Bolton
RRepublican
AL
61