State v. Groppel

STOWERS, Chief Justice.

I. INTRODUCTION

When a criminal defendant asserts the defense of insanity or diminished capacity or the defendant's mental fitness otherwise is at issue, AS 12.47.070 requires the court to appoint two qualified psychiatrists or two psychologists certified by the American Board of Forensic Psychology to examine the defendant. This case presents the questions whom these experts serve, how they are to be chosen, and who must bear their costs. We answer that these are the court's experts, that Alaska Psychiatric Institute (API) must provide them if API employs experts with…