Essay On Sanity Board

Issue(s): What is a sanity board, and how does one request it? Is Rule 706 for Courts-Martial (R.C.M.), which can be found in the Manual for Courts-Martial (M.C.M.), the applicable rule for sanity board cases?

Short Answer: A sanity board is considered to be an inquiry into the mental capacity or mental responsibility of an accused individual who is serving in the United States Military. Sanity boards are governed under Rule 706 of the Rules for Courts-Martial, located in the Manual for Courts-Martial. Inquiries can be requested by several different parties including attorney (from either side of), the judge presiding, or the investigating officer. When requesting an inquiring the request is done by writing to the individual authorized to order the inquiry¹.

Statement of Facts: Sergeant Payne has previously been known to display odd behavior that is considered not normal throughout the years. Most people, who know or have met Sergeant Payne often wonder what is wrong with him.
Sanity boards are an evaluation of a board made up of at least one physician or clinical psychologist, along with others. Sanity boards are governed by Rule 706 of the Rules of Court-Martials. According to Rule 706 a sanity board inquiry can be requested either before charges have been officially referred or after the referral of charges². After referral requests for evaluation of the offender may be made any time after the referral of charges but before the first session of the court-martial hearing². A request for a sanity board can be requested by several different people. These people can include: attorneys on either side, the judge presiding over the court-martial, or the investigating officer. When deciding to request an evaluation under Rule 706, the request is done so through written communication to whoever has the authority in authorize it, usually the judge