Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Psychol Serv. 2022 May;19(2):252-260. doi: 10.1037/ser0000535. Epub 2021 Mar 22.
Recent research has suggested nationwide increases in the rates of referral for competence to stand trial (CST) evaluations across the United States. Many of these evaluations are for defendants charged only with misdemeanor offenses and for whom diversion programs are most appropriate. The present study was designed to analyze the characteristics of, and re-arrest outcomes for, defendants charged with misdemeanors ordered to undergo CST evaluations in a large metropolitan area. Overall, there was a high base rate of incompetent to stand trial (IST) opinions (over 70% of defendants) in this sample, with the greatest impairments in rational understanding and ability to assist counsel. Defendants opined IST were more likely to have a psychotic disorder, a history of psychiatric hospitalization, and greater abnormalities in thought content relative to their competent counterparts. Of concern, defendants opined IST, and especially those referred for crisis evaluations upon dismissal of the charges, were significantly more likely to be re-arrested than their counterparts. These data support the criminalization hypothesis, suggesting that criminal justice involvement for this subset of defendants inappropriately reflects psychiatric instability, supporting the need for more options for inpatient and outpatient treatment to effectively intervene in this process. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).
最近的研究表明，美国全国范围内的审判能力转介评估（CST）率有所上升。这些评估中有许多是针对仅被控轻罪的被告进行的，而转移程序是最合适的。本研究旨在分析在一个大城市地区被命令进行 CST 评估的被控轻罪被告的特征和再次被捕的结果。总的来说，在这个样本中，无能力接受审判（IST）的意见（超过 70%的被告）有很高的基础率，在理性理解和协助律师的能力方面存在最大的障碍。被认为 IST 的被告更有可能患有精神障碍、精神病院住院史，以及与他们有能力的同行相比，思维内容有更大的异常。值得关注的是，被认为 IST 的被告，特别是那些在指控被驳回后进行危机评估的被告，与他们的同行相比，再次被捕的可能性显著更高。这些数据支持了刑事化假说，表明对这部分被告的刑事司法干预不恰当地反映了精神不稳定，支持需要更多的住院和门诊治疗选择，以有效地干预这一过程。（PsycInfo 数据库记录（c）2022 APA，保留所有权利）。
