NCJ Number
154207
Journal
Bulletin of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Volume: 22 Issue: 2 Dated: (1994) Pages: 289-295
Date Published
1994
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This study explored the role homelessness may play in clinical evaluations of competency to stand trial.
Abstract
The sample included 263 defendants referred for competency evaluation over a 6-month period by the Criminal and Supreme courts in Manhattan. After removing all false-positive referrals, the results showed that 42 percent of the mentally disordered defendants referred for evaluation were homeless at the time of their instant offense, compared to approximately 1 percent of the general population and 2 percent of the city's mentally ill population. Homeless mentally ill defendants were significantly more likely to be found incompetent to stand trial than defendants who had permanent homes. They also presented with higher levels of psychopathological symptoms. Forensic evaluators found that homeless defendants were much more likely to be psychotic, exhibiting particularly high rates of formal thought disorder and ideas of reference. 3 tables and 12 notes