Dedicated hearings starting this morning at Gisborne District Court are expected to reduce the number of mentally impaired defendants subjected to delays.

The hearings are for where issues of fitness to stand trial or insanity have been raised and will take place in a new Criminal Procedure (Mentally Impaired Persons) List.

A list court is a form of scheduling that gathers a particular type of hearing in a set timeslot. The Criminal Procedure (Mentally Impaired Persons) List will sit every four weeks for half a day.

Gisborne is only the second District Court location to introduce a Criminal Procedure (Mentally Impaired Persons) List, with the first started in Auckland in 2020. Gisborne is introducing the list as part of the Te Ao Mārama – Enhancing Justice for All nationwide initiative.

Unnecessary delays impede timely access to justice. The new approach will help to reduce delays and the number of defendants unnecessarily subjected to the fitness process.

The list will see defendants dealt with in a sensitive and appropriate way and improve the efficiency of processes for health professionals and defendants required to attend court.

Renee Smith, Senior Responsible Owner for the Te Ao Mārama initiative, says, “We are really excited about this new solution-focused list and the positive outcomes and difference it can make for those appearing before the court. It will improve the quality of justice received by defendants going through the list.

“The aim of this list is to improve the efficiency of mental health advice, along with improving the consistency in the way these cases are managed.”