The research initiative involves data collected voluntarily from several hundred community forensic evaluators trained through the Institute of Law, Psychiatry and Public Policy at the University of Virginia since the inception of the FEIS information system in 1986.
Data were compiled using the Forensic Evaluation Information Form, a two-page instrument that includes information concerning: (1) the defendant's current charges and criminal history; current psychiatric status and past hospitalizations; compliance at the time of the offense with prescribed psychotropic medication, and use of alcohol or other non-prescribed substances at the time of the offense (2) the nature of the examination, including the number and discipline of the evaluators, the time spent on different components of the evaluation, the use of psychological tests, and the sources of collateral information received (3) the nature of the psycholegal opinion both in terms of a penultimate opinion and the Dusky components of the CST criteria that the defendant may meet; and (4) the evaluator opinion regarding the restorability of the defendant considered IST.
In one study, we examined 8,416 competence to stand trial evaluations conducted over a ten-year period.
- Overall, 19% of defendants were thought to be incompetent, and of these 23% were viewed as likely unrestorable.
- Generally, psychotic and organic/ intellectual disorders were most strongly associated with findings of incompetence.
- There were some notable differences between evaluations by psychologists and psychiatrists, and between evaluations conducted in inpatient versus outpatient settings.
In another study, we examined 5,175 evaluations of legal sanity.
- Over a ten year period, rates of insanity varied from 7% to 15 % with mean of 12 %, a rate that is consistent with national trends.
- A psycho-legal opinion supportive of insanity was positively associated with psychotic and organic illness and a past psychiatric treatment.
- An psycho-legal opinion supportive of insanity was negatively associated with prior criminal history, drug charges, personality disorder diagnoses and intoxication at the time of the offenses.
For more information concerning these data and publications related to them, contact Professor Warren at jiw(at)virginia.edu.