title: Offense Characteristics of Incompetent to Stand Trial Defendants Charged With Violent Offenses.
abstract: The current study compared offender and offense characteristics of pretrial defendants found incompetent to stand trial (IST) against those described as general offenders by victims in the 2008 Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) survey and evaluated factors that differentiated IST defendants who allegedly used weapons from those who did not during the course of a violent offense. IST defendants were older and used "weapons" more frequently than those reported in the BJS survey; however, other characteristics, including use of firearms, did not differ. No demographic, clinical, or legal factors differentiated pretrial defendants who used weapons from those who did not. Overall, pretrial defendants were frequently diagnosed with a comorbid substance use disorder, and were homeless, unemployed, and had an extensive history of psychiatric hospitalizations and prior arrests at the time of their alleged offenses. Such results indicate that models for comprehensive discharge planning may have utility in addressing the unique needs of this subgroup of mentally disordered offenders. The findings also raise questions about the federal and state prohibition of gun rights to all IST defendants.
authors.affiliation: Fairleigh Dickinson University, School of Psychology, Teaneck, NJ.
authors.forename: Jeremy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schreiber
authors.affiliation: Fairleigh Dickinson University, School of Psychology, Teaneck, NJ.
authors.forename: Debbie
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Green
authors.affiliation: Kirby Forensic Psychiatric Center/New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY.
authors.forename: Michal
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kunz
authors.affiliation: Kirby Forensic Psychiatric Center/New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY.
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Belfi
authors.affiliation: Fairleigh Dickinson University, School of Psychology, Teaneck, NJ.
authors.forename: Gabriela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pequeno
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D057237:Criminals / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005389:Firearms / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016743:Mental Competency; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009519:New York City / Q000453:epidemiology; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014478:Unemployment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014754:Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D054041:Weapons / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult