Criminal Procedure - Diagnosis of Developmental Disability or Intellectual Disability - Evidence

HB 703 allows evidence of autism spectrum disorder, developmental disability, or intellectual disability diagnoses to be used in criminal cases when relevant to the defendant's mental state at the time of the alleged offense. It requires judges to consider such diagnoses during pretrial release decisions for defendants with these conditions. The bill updates Maryland's evidence rules (under Article 10-926) and pretrial procedures (under Article 5-216) to incorporate these specific diagnoses. It references existing definitions of "developmental disability" and "intellectual disability" from health law, without altering those definitions. The law takes effect October 1, 2025.