Chien Joseph, Coker Kendell L, Parke Susan, Tejani Nabyl, Sirken Remy A, Sanchez-Jaquez Christina, Rausch Fernando, Azeem Muhammad W
Dr. Chien is Staff Psychiatrist, Portland VA Health Care System, Portland, OR. Dr. Coker is Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology and Criminal Justice, University of New Haven, New Haven, CT. Dr. Parke is Assistant Professor, Division of Law and Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT. Dr. Tejani is Staff Psychiatrist, San Quentin State Prison, San Quentin, CA.; Dr. Sirken is Staff Psychiatrist, Western Connecticut Health Network, Danbury, CT. Dr. Sanchez-Jaquez is Attending Psychiatrist, El Paso Immigration Processing Center, El Paso, TX. Mr. Rausch is Intake Coordinator, Albert. J. Solnit Children's Center, Middletown, CT. Dr. Azeem is Chief of Psychiatry and Medical Director, Albert J. Solnit Children's Center, Middletown, CT, and Associate Clinical Professor, Yale Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT.
J Am Acad Psychiatry Law. 2016 Dec;44(4):451-456.
There are substantial differences between adults and juveniles in the context of competency restoration. Among juveniles, factors such as maturity level, age, intellectual functioning, and psychiatric diagnoses may affect competency to stand trial. In this study, subjects included all juveniles who were admitted to the Albert J. Solnit Children's Center for inpatient competency restoration in the period spanning January 1, 2005, through December 31, 2012. Sixty-one juveniles were referred during this period, and 58 were included in the final analyses. Several demographic and clinical variables were tested to identify which factors were associated with successful competency restoration. There was a high rate of psychiatric comorbidity in the sample, with 54 of 58 juveniles (93%), having more than one Axis I disorder. IQ was the only significant predictor of successful competency restoration. These findings suggest that cognitive limitations may be a robust predictor of competency restoration among juveniles who are deemed incompetent to stand trial. Furthermore, policy makers may want to consider more specialized services for youths whose intellectual deficits are severe enough to impact their ability to regain competency. Limitations of this study, policy recommendations, and suggestions for future research are discussed.
