Afghan Massacre: The Coming Sanity Board
Source: Time
What’s next in the case ofArmy Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, formally charged Friday with murdering 17 Afghan civilians? I will not try to answer that question regarding the courtroom proceedings. But what I can discuss is the normal military procedure for assessing competency to stand trial, and criminal responsibility at the time of the crime. Criminal responsibility is the technical term for what is often called by the public as “insanity.”
When there is a reasonable question of whether an accused lacks competency or criminal responsibility, the military judge may order a so-called “sanity board.” The actual procedure is covered in the Manual for Courts Marital, under the Rule for Court Martial 706, so it also is commonly referred to as a “706.” The 706 board is designed to be neutral — working for neither the defense nor prosecution — but for the court. These procedures are similar to those in most states, but with some important differences.
The sanity board is usually conducted by three military psychiatrists or psychologists, often with specialized training in forensic psychiatry or psychology.
Read more: http://battleland.blogs.time.com/2012/03/26/afghan-massacre-the-coming-sanity-board/
