(a) The officer providing conservatorship investigation shall investigate all available alternatives to conservatorship, including, but not limited to, assisted outpatient treatment pursuant to Section 5346 and the Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Act program pursuant to Section 5978, as applicable, and shall recommend conservatorship to the court only if no suitable alternatives are available. This officer shall render to the court a written report of investigation prior to the hearing. The report to the court shall be comprehensive and shall contain all relevant aspects of the person’s medical, psychological, financial, family, vocational, and social condition, and information obtained from the person’s family members, close friends, social worker, or principal therapist. The report shall also contain all available information concerning the person’s real and personal property. The facilities providing intensive treatment or comprehensive evaluation shall disclose any records or information that may facilitate the investigation. If the officer providing conservatorship investigation recommends either for or against conservatorship, the officer shall set forth all alternatives available, including conservatorship, assisted outpatient treatment pursuant to Section 5346 and the CARE Act program pursuant to Section 5978, as applicable, and all other less restrictive alternatives. A copy of the report shall be transmitted to the individual who originally recommended conservatorship, to the person or agency, if any, recommended to serve as conservator, and to the person recommended for conservatorship. The court may receive the report in evidence and may read and consider the contents thereof in rendering its judgment.
(b) Notwithstanding Section 5328, when a court with jurisdiction over a person in a criminal case orders an evaluation of the person’s mental condition pursuant to Section 5200, and that evaluation leads to a conservatorship investigation, the officer providing the conservatorship investigation shall serve a copy of the report required under subdivision (a) upon the defendant or the defendant’s counsel. Upon the prior written request of the defendant or the defendant’s counsel, the officer providing the conservatorship investigation shall also submit a copy of the report to the court hearing the criminal case, the district attorney, and the county probation department. The conservatorship investigation report and the information contained in that report, shall be kept confidential and shall not be further disclosed to anyone without the prior written consent of the defendant. After disposition of the criminal case, the court shall place all copies of the report in a sealed file, except as follows:
(1) The defendant and the defendant’s counsel may retain their copy.
(2) If the defendant is placed on probation status, the county probation department may retain a copy of the report for the purpose of supervision of the defendant until the probation is terminated, at which time the probation department shall return its copy of the report to the court for placement into the sealed file.
(Amended by Stats. 2023, Ch. 637, Sec. 5. (SB 43) Effective January 1, 2024.)