A forensic patient is a person subject to a supervision or restriction order imposed by the Supreme Court after being found guilty of an offence or being found not guilty of an offence by reason of insanity.
The Forensic Tribunal conducts hearings to review:
restriction orders; and
supervision orders.
The Tribunal also has functions in relation to the following:
applications for leave of absence from a secure mental health unit for a person subject to a restriction order;
applications for detention of a person subject to a supervision order in a secure mental health unit;
applications for medical treatment of a person in a secure mental health unit where the person does not consent to the treatment;
reports on the restraint and seclusion of forensic patients;
reports on restrictions covering mail, email and telephone calls in relation to a forensic patient; and
the review of decision to transfer a prisoner or youth detainee to a secure mental health unit.
Restriction and Supervision Orders are required to be reviewed within the first 12 months of the making of the Order and once every 12 months thereafter.
The Forensic Tribunal is usually constituted by three members. The President of the Mental Health Tribunal and the President of the Guardianship and Administration Board are members of the Forensic Tribunal. The President of the Mental Health Tribunal is the Chair of the Tribunal. The other members of the Tribunal are selected by the Minister for Health and Human Services for their expertise in psychiatry or law.
There is no charge for the services of the Tribunal. The Tribunal is publicly funded.