NCJ Number
84622
Date Published
1982
Length
70 pages
Annotation
This handbook outlines criteria for distinguishing mentally retarded from nonretarded persons and provides guidelines for criminal justice personnel dealing with mentally retarded offenders.
Abstract
An overview of mental retardation discusses clinical criteria, levels of retardation, intelligence and adaptive behavior tests, and common fallacies about mentally retarded persons. Behavioral clues, task performance, and replies to questions regarding educational and vocational background on initial contacts often lead interviewers to infer that certain offenders are mentally retarded. However, the guide cautions that persons with developmental disabilities, mental disorders, and health problems sometimes show signs of mental retardation, and that the condition can be conclusively determined only by special examination. The book provides examples of interviewing techniques and the use of a checklist for assessing mentally retarded suspects and planning appropriate dispositions. A special section for attorneys and judges addresses competence to stand trial, guilty pleas, criminal responsibility, out-of-court statements, criminal intent, and sentencing options. The final chapter, designed for probation and parole officers with mentally retarded clients, reviews effective supervisory approaches and outlines a process for determining mentally retarded offenders' skills and reintegrating them into society at a high level of independence. Footnotes, a glossary, and 59 references are included.