NCJ Number
79773
Date Published
1981
Length
161 pages
Annotation
The National Center for State Courts researched forensic mental health examination programs within court clinics as part of NIJ's National Evaluation Program. General findings are presented, and profiles of 5 of the 20 courts studied nationwide are included.
Abstract
The study indicated that courts differ in organization and procedures. Some are totally or partially funded by court systems, and others are agencies of the local or State departments of mental health. Services range from mere advice to the courts on the merits of further evaluation of client-offenders to provision of thorough evaluations and opinions on ultimate mental-health legal questions. Primarily, courts are expected to examine criminal defendants and render opinions on their competency to stand trial, suitability for pretrial release, and psychosocial orientation. Court clinics can be differentiated on the basis of caseload, referral sources, time of referral, staff, budget, type of reporting mechanisms (testimony, written reports), treatment options, and data collection methods. The clinical interview is the main assessment tool, although most clinics conduct clinical interviews and perform psychological testing. Profiles of five court clinics describe operations in the Medical Office of the Supreme Bench of Baltimore, the Cambridge Court Clinic (Massachusetts), the Forensic Psychiatry Clinic (New York City), the Pima County Court Clinic (Arizona), and the Court's Diagnostic Clinic (Hartford, Conn.). The profiles include descriptions of the clinics' goals, illustrations of client flow into and through the system, and discussions of how mental health information is delineated by the referral source, acquired by the clinic staff, and provided to the user. Systems for feedback, quality control, and program evaluation are reviewed. A list of 35 references and samples of data collection forms used by the clinics are appended.