title: Competency to stand trial evaluations in a multicultural population: Associations between psychiatric, demographic, and legal factors.
abstract: Data were examined from an archival sample of Competency to Stand Trial (CST) reports of 200 consecutive New York City pre-trial defendants evaluated over a five-month period. Approximately a fourth of defendants in the present study were immigrants; many required the assistance of interpreters. The examiners conducting the CST evaluation diagnosed approximately half of the defendants with a primary diagnosis of a psychotic disorder and deemed over half not competent. Examiners reached the same conclusion about competency in 96% of cases, about the presence of a psychotic disorder in 91% of cases, and affective disorder in 85% of cases. No significant differences between psychologists and psychiatrists were found for rates of competency/incompetency opinions. Compared to those deemed competent, defendants deemed not competent had significantly higher rates of prior psychiatric hospitalization and diagnosis of psychotic illness at the time of the CST evaluation but lower rates of reported substance abuse.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, State University of New York - Downstate Medical Center, 450 Clarkson Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11203, USA; Department of Psychology, Marymount Manhattan College, 221 East 71st Street, New York, NY 10021, USA. Electronic address: cparadis@mmm.edu.
authors.forename: Cheryl M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Paradis
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, State University of New York - Downstate Medical Center, 450 Clarkson Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11203, USA.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Owen
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Marymount Manhattan College, 221 East 71st Street, New York, NY 10021, USA.
authors.forename: Linda Z
authors.initials: LZ
authors.lastname: Solomon
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Marymount Manhattan College, 221 East 71st Street, New York, NY 10021, USA.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lane
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, State University of New York - Downstate Medical Center, 450 Clarkson Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11203, USA.
authors.forename: Chinmoy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gulrajani
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, State University of New York - Downstate Medical Center, 450 Clarkson Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11203, USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fullar
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, State University of New York - Downstate Medical Center, 450 Clarkson Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11203, USA.
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Perry
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, State University of New York - Downstate Medical Center, 450 Clarkson Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11203, USA.
authors.forename: Sasha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rai
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, State University of New York - Downstate Medical Center, 450 Clarkson Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11203, USA.
authors.forename: Tamar
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lavy
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai-Roosevelt Hospital, 1111Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10025, USA.
authors.forename: Gene
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: McCullough
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D003710:Demography; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D000070516:Intersectoral Collaboration; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D016743:Mental Competency / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000523:psychology*; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015588:Observer Variation; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology; D014175:Translating; D014481:United States; D014505:Urban Population; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Competency; Competency to stand trial; Forensic evaluation