Competency for Trial: A Screening Instrument

Abstract

The process of determining an accused person's competence to stand trial often causes indefinite commitment to mental hospitals. The authors administered the Competency Screening Test, a device for determining competency, to 43 men who had been referred to a state hospital for determination of competency to stand trial. The majority who scored low on the test were indefinitely committed, while the majority who scored high were returned for trial. The test seems to facilitate screening procedures and avoids hospitalization of competent persons.