Study of admission screening at a state hospital finds value in checking response style among patients committed as incompetent to stand trial
The article opens by noting that competence evaluations are the most requested forensic assessment in the United States, at least 60,000 a year, and that referrals and court-ordered restorations have surged nationwide. Where inpatient restoration is required, jailed defendants frequently sit waiting for a hospital bed, and a growing number of states are being sued over how long that takes.
The authors tested whether screening patients at admission could make restoration more efficient. Of 837 patients admitted as incompetent to stand trial during the study period, 486 had adequate data for analysis. The screen proved useful for flagging people who may need a comprehensive assessment of feigning.
They conclude that assessing response style is a critical part of a forensic evaluation and that, if it was not done before trial, it is worth doing on admission for restoration.
Source: The Utility of an Admission Screening Procedure for Patients Committed to a State Hospital as Incompetent to Stand Trial — International Journal of Forensic Mental Health, by Barbara E. McDermott, William J. Newman, Jonathan Meyer, Charles L. Scott, Katherine Warburton
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