Date Submitted
8-2022
Faculty Advisor
Esperanza Anaya, PhD
Second Faculty Advisor
Amy Sickel, PsyD
Third Faculty Advisor
Sarah Mielens, PsyD
Abstract
Competency to stand trial is a legal term that refers to a defendant’s ability to understand the charges against them, as well as assist their legal counsel in their defense. It has been an essential component of the legal process and has continued to evolve throughout the years. Every year, a significant number of defendants are referred for competency to stand trial evaluations. Many individuals who are opined incompetent have a likelihood of regaining their competency through restoration treatment. While most are eventually restored after treatment, some individuals are opined non-restorable and will undergo a more long-term rehabilitation. This study aimed to identify if certain characteristics can help predict the likelihood of regaining competency and length of stay in a restoration treatment program. Retrospective chart review was used to collect demographic, legal, and psychological data from a sample of 102 patients in an inpatient competency restoration facility. Multiple and logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the predictability of the variables. The results of the multiple regression analysis indicated that having a prior hospitalization was the only significant predictor of length of stay. Results of the logistic regression suggested that no variables significantly predicted likelihood of restoration. Limitations of this study include small sample size and lack of variability within the sample. It is further suggested that future research continue to examine different predictor variable’s ability to predict length of stay and restoration likelihood.
