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Instrument for Assessing Competency to Stand Trial: How Do They Work?

NCJ Number
112730
Journal
Professional Psychology: Research and Practice Volume: 19 Issue: 4 Dated: (August 1988) Pages: 383-394
Author(s)
R A Nicholson; S R Briggs; H C Robertson
Date Published
1988
Length
12 pages
Annotation
Previous research has demonstrated that the Competency Screening Test (CST) and a revised version of the Georgia Court Competency Test-Mississippi State Hospital version (GCCT-MSH) accurately predict competency-to-stand-trial decisions made by forensic examiners.
Abstract
This study used internal consistency analysis, item analyses, and factor analyses to determine how the measures predict the competency criteria using data for 140 defendants primarily charged with violent crimes. These analyses failed to reveal a clear basis for the predictive power of the CST. It was not possible to establish correlates of the better predictors or to label the item clusters that emerged from the factor analyses. In contrast, analyses of the GCCT-MSH revealed a straightforward internal structure that comprised three factors. The factor that predicted staff decisions most accurately (specific legal knowledge) consisted of items that were relevant for the individual defendant's case and that appeared to tap psychopathology as well as intellectual ability. Results suggest that both the concepts of mental illness and mental deficiency are essential to the competency construct and to the forensic assessment process. There is a need for investigators to examine further the empirical relationships between psychological constructs and the defendant's legally relevant functional ability. The CST is appended. 6 tables and 32 references. (Author abstract modified)