--- kind: "section" citation: "10 U.S.C. § 876b" title: "10" title_heading: "Armed Forces" number: "876b" heading: "Art. 76b. Lack of mental capacity or mental responsibility: commitment of accused for examination and treatment" release: "119-102" date: "2026-07-12" url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/10/876b" units: - "Subtitle A — General Military Law" - "Part II — Personnel" - "Chapter 47 — Uniform Code of Military Justice" - "Subchapter IX — Post-Trial Procedure and Review of Courts-Martial" --- # §876b. Art. 76b. Lack of mental capacity or mental responsibility: commitment of accused for examination and treatment - (a) **Persons Incompetent To Stand Trial.—** - (1) In the case of a [person](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2) determined under this chapter to be presently suffering from a mental disease or defect rendering the [person](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2) mentally incompetent to the extent that the [person](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2) is unable to understand the nature of the proceedings against that [person](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2) or to conduct or cooperate intelligently in the defense of the case, the general court-martial convening authority for that [person](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2) shall commit the [person](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2) to the custody of the Attorney General. - (2) The Attorney General shall take action in accordance with [section 4241(d) of title 18](/usc/18/4241.md?p=d). - (3) If at the end of the period for hospitalization provided for in [section 4241(d) of title 18](/usc/18/4241.md?p=d), it is determined that the committed [person](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2)’s mental condition has not so improved as to permit the trial to proceed, action shall be taken in accordance with [section 4246](/usc/18/4246.md) of such title. - (4) - (A) When the director of a [facility](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2) in which a [person](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2) is hospitalized pursuant to [paragraph (2)](#a-2) determines that the [person](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2) has recovered to such an extent that the [person](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2) is able to understand the nature of the proceedings against the [person](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2) and to conduct or cooperate intelligently in the defense of the case, the director shall promptly transmit a notification of that determination to the Attorney General and to the general court-martial convening authority for the [person](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2). The director shall send a copy of the notification to the [person](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2)’s counsel. - (B) Upon receipt of a notification, the general court-martial convening authority shall promptly take custody of the [person](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2) unless the [person](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2) covered by the notification is no longer subject to this chapter. If the [person](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2) is no longer subject to this chapter, the Attorney General shall take any action within the authority of the Attorney General that the Attorney General considers appropriate regarding the [person](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2). - (C) The director of the [facility](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2) may retain custody of the [person](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2) for not more than 30 days after transmitting the notifications required by [subparagraph (A)](#a-4-A). - (5) In the application of [section 4246 of title 18](/usc/18/4246.md) to a case under this subsection, references to the court that ordered the commitment of a [person](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2), and to the clerk of such court, shall be deemed to refer to the general court-martial convening authority for that [person](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2). However, if the [person](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2) is no longer subject to this chapter at a time relevant to the application of such section to the [person](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2), the [United States](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-1) district court for the district where the [person](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2) is hospitalized or otherwise may be found shall be considered as the court that ordered the commitment of the [person](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2). - (b) **Persons Found Not Guilty by Reason of Lack of Mental Responsibility.—** - (1) If a [person](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2) is found by a court-martial not guilty only by reason of lack of mental responsibility, the [person](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2) shall be committed to a suitable [facility](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2) until the [person](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2) is eligible for [release](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2) in accordance with this section. - (2) The court-martial shall conduct a hearing on the mental condition in accordance with subsection (c) of [section 4243 of title 18](/usc/18/4243.md). Subsections [(b)](/usc/18/4243.md?p=b) and [(d)](/usc/18/4243.md?p=d) of that section shall apply with respect to the hearing. - (3) A report of the results of the hearing shall be made to the general court-martial convening authority for the [person](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2). - (4) If the court-martial fails to find by the standard specified in subsection (d) of [section 4243 of title 18](/usc/18/4243.md) that the [person](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2)’s [release](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2) would not create a substantial risk of bodily injury to another [person](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2) or serious damage of property of another due to a present mental disease or defect— - (A) the general court-martial convening authority may commit the [person](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2) to the custody of the Attorney General; and - (B) the Attorney General shall take action in accordance with subsection (e) of [section 4243 of title 18](/usc/18/4243.md). - (5) Subsections (f), (g), and (h) of [section 4243 of title 18](/usc/18/4243.md) shall apply in the case of a [person](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2) hospitalized pursuant to [paragraph (4)(B)](#b-4-B), except that the [United States](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-1) district court for the district where the [person](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2) is hospitalized shall be considered as the court that ordered the [person](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2)’s commitment. - (c) **General Provisions.—** - (1) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection and [subsection (d)(1)](#d-1), the provisions of [section 4247 of title 18](/usc/18/4247.md) apply in the administration of this section. - (2) In the application of [section 4247(d) of title 18](/usc/18/4247.md?p=d) to hearings conducted by a court-martial under this section or by (or by order of) a general court-martial convening authority under this section, the reference in that section to [section 3006A](/usc/18/3006A.md) of such title does not apply. - (d) **Applicability.—** - (1) The provisions of [chapter 313](/usc/18/chptIII/ch313.md) of title 18 referred to in this section apply according to the provisions of this section notwithstanding [section 4247(j) of title 18](/usc/18/4247.md?p=j). - (2) If the status of a [person](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2) as described in [section 802 of this title](/usc/10/802.md) (article 2) terminates while the [person](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2) is, pursuant to this section, in the custody of the Attorney General, hospitalized, or on conditional [release](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2) under a prescribed regimen of medical, psychiatric, or psychological care or treatment, the provisions of this section establishing requirements and procedures regarding a [person](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2) no longer subject to this chapter shall continue to apply to that [person](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2) notwithstanding the change of status. ## Source credit (Added Pub. L. 104–106, div. A, title XI, § 1133(a)(1), Feb. 10, 1996, 110 Stat. 464.) ## Notes ### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries ### Effective Date Pub. L. 104–106, div. A, title XI, § 1133(c), Feb. 10, 1996, 110 Stat. 466, provided that: “Section 876b of title 10, United States Code (article 76b of the Uniform Code of Military Justice), as added by subsection (a), shall take effect at the end of the six-month period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act [Feb. 10, 1996] and shall apply with respect to charges referred to courts-martial after the end of that period.”