The Competence Assessment for Standing Trial for Defendants With Mental Retardation (CAST*MR) consists of 50 questions and was designed to assess defendants’ understanding of basic legal concepts, ability to assist their attorneys, and ability to relate important information regarding their own legal circumstances. Its purpose is to assist forensic evaluators in determining competency in defendants
The MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Clinical Research (MacCAT-CR) provides a semi-structured assessment format for evaluating abilities related to the decisional capacity of subjects in clinical research. Four component abilities of a decisional capacity standard are assessed: understanding, appreciation, reasoning, and choice. Administration of the instrument begins with the disclosure of selected information about a
Mental health professionals often conduct evaluations to assist courts in determining whether a criminal defendant is competent to participate in the adjudicatory process. A variety of instruments have been developed to help structure these forensic assessments; this entry describes one of the more contemporary competence assessment instruments, the MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool-Criminal Adjudication (MacCAT-CA). In
The MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Treatment (MacCAT-T) is an instrument designed to assess decision-making capacity. Designed as part of the MacArthur Competence Treatment Competence Study, a multiyear, multisite effort named for the well-known philanthropic foundation, the tool operationalizes established elements of competent decisions. The semistructured instrument, which can be completed within 20 to 30
Many observers praise the abilities of juries in making decisions in both criminal and civil cases. Others, however, criticize the competence of juries, arguing that juries are not effective legal decision makers. Psychologists have conducted a variety of studies to evaluate how juries make decisions, using simulation and field experiments, archival data, and interviews of
Competence motivation theory is a conceptual framework designed to explain individuals’ motivation to participate, persist, and work hard in any particular achievement context. The central thesis of the theory is that individuals are attracted to participation in activities at which they feel competent or capable. The theory can be used by researchers and practitioners in
Evaluation of Competency to Stand Trial-Revised (ECST-R) is a semistructured interview that is designed to assess criminal defendants’ capacities as they relate to courtroom proceedings. In Dusky v. United States (1960), the U.S. Supreme Court established the three basic prongs required for competency to stand trial: (1) factual understanding of the proceedings, (2) rational understanding
Although the early juvenile justice system did not require that adolescent defendants be able to understand and participate in their legal proceedings, courts have increasingly required that adolescent defendants, like adult criminal defendants, be competent to proceed to adjudication (competent to stand trial). This has raised a unique set of challenges for the courts and
Sport and exercise psychology has traditionally been understood to consist of a set of skills and theoretical underpinnings distanced from culture. These skills have been taught in postsecondary educational settings and presented in authoritative textbooks. Although readers might not at first recognize what rests beneath the surface of these writings, a closer look suggests that
Sport and exercise psychology has traditionally been understood to consist of a set of skills and theoretical underpinnings distanced from culture. These skills have been taught in postsecondary educational settings and presented in authoritative textbooks. Although readers might not at first recognize what rests beneath the surface of these writings, a closer look suggests that