Victorian Consolidated Legislation

Crimes (Mental Impairment and Unfitness to be Tried) Act 1997 - SECT 1

PART 1 PRELIMINARY

Purposes

1. Purposes

The purposes of this Act are-

   (a)  to define the criteria for determining if a person is unfit to stand
        trial;

   (b)  to replace the common law defence of insanity with a statutory defence
        of mental impairment;

   (c)  to provide new procedures for dealing with people who are unfit to
        stand trial or who are found not guilty because of mental impairment.