Opinion ID: 1578945
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Statutory Right of Competency.

Text: Cubbage renews on appeal his arguments that he has both a statutory and constitutional right to be competent through the course of the trial inquiry into whether he is a sexually violent predator. He believes that his statutory right of competency arises from Iowa Code section 812.3, which provides, If at any stage of a criminal proceeding it reasonably appears that the defendant is suffering from a mental disorder which prevents the defendant from appreciating the charge, understanding the proceedings, or assisting effectively in the defense, further proceedings must be suspended and a hearing had upon that question. (Emphasis added.) See also Iowa Code § 812.4 (providing that, upon a finding of incapacity, no further proceedings shall be taken under the complaint or indictment until the accused's capacity is restored). However, both our prior interpretations of the SVPA and the statutory language Cubbage invokes as evidence of his statutory right of competency undermine his argument that he holds such a right. In In re Detention of Garren, we determined that the Sexually Violent Predator Act is civil in nature, not criminal. 620 N.W.2d at 283. As emphasized above, Iowa Code section 812.3 provides for a competency hearing in a criminal proceeding but makes no provision for a hearing in a civil proceeding. Cubbage offers no other sourceincluding no specific provision of the SVPAfor his alleged statutory right to competency during proceedings under the act. [1] For these reasons, we conclude that Cubbage does not have a statutory right to be competent during the course of proceedings brought pursuant to the SVPA. [2]