Thesis
Predicting the restoration of incompetent to stand trial criminal defendants in jail
Master of Science (M.S.), Drexel University
Aug 2018
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/D84H4B
Abstract
State legal systems face a growing challenge: providing effective and timely competency restoration services to pretrial detainees adjudicated IST. The backlog of incompetent defendants waiting in county jails for restoration services and the high costs of assessing and treating incompetence highlights the need for restoration treatment procedures that better identify and triage defendants to different treatment settings commensurate with their treatment needs. Individuals suffering from psychosis make up the majority of IST defendants. Consequently, psychotropic medication is the most common form of treatment for restoring a defendant's competence. This study investigated the role of psychotropic medication administered in the jail in restoring competency for IST defendants with elevated symptoms of psychoticism and/or paranoid ideation. It also addressed specialized versus general population housing within the jail. Results support the hypothesis that psychotropic medication is an important correlate of adjudicative incompetence and that a subset of defendants may not require a secure bed at a state hospital for restoration services. These findings suggest exploring novel approaches to competency restoration, like jail-based competency restoration, that provide critical services at reduced costs, while maintaining efficacy and quality of care.
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Details
- Title
- Predicting the restoration of incompetent to stand trial criminal defendants in jail
- Creators
- Joanna Thomas - DU
- Contributors
- Kirk Heilbrun (Advisor) - Drexel University (1970-)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Master of Science (M.S.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Number of pages
- 94 pages
- Resource Type
- Thesis
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Psychological and Brain Sciences (Psychology); College of Arts and Sciences; Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 8193; 991014632824304721