Competence to Stand Trial Evaluations: Just the Basics

This book offers general guidelines for a psychologist to use in evaluating the competence of a defendant to stand trial. After chapters that provide the legal definition of competence and an explanation of basic forensic concepts, it guides the reader in selecting the method to use in conducting a competency evaluation, collecting and interpreting the data, and preparing a solid competence report. Grisso refers throughout to his five components for assessing a defendant's competence: functional, causal, interactive, conclusory and dispositional. The book is appropriate for use in a continuing education workshop, a classroom, a seminar, or professional training. But it is best followed by consultation of more advanced resources. The work closes with five appendixes: a list of advanced books and journals to consult in making competency evaluations, a list of 14 relevant federal and state cases, a list of five methods, such as McGarry's Competency Functions to use in evaluating an individual's competence to stand trial, a list of six instruments designed to assess competence, and a 10 page sample evaluation report. A four page glossary of common terms is also provided. Annotation ©2014 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)

Thomas Grisso offers a superb primer on competently conducting CST evaluations. The step-by-step process from collecting the data to writing your report is presented in a clear and concise manner with appendices to aid further study. Competency to stand trial evaluations are among the most common forensic evaluation referrals in criminal and juvenile courts nationwide. This title provides a review of the most fundamental concepts and methods for performing these evaluations. It includes the essential legal and conceptual background, how to select the right data-collection methods, a step-by-step process for performing competency interviews and data collection, a framework for interpreting them, and how to write the report. Competency to Stand Trial Evaluations: A Manual for Practice, was the first text Dr Thomas Grisso wrote on this topic. As in that work, Competency to Stand Trial Evaluations: Just the Basics, is organized according to Grisso's now-classic structure that identifies "five components" for legal competencies, each leading to five objectives that frame the whole evaluation process in competency to stand trial cases. Beyond those similarities, this new work has been substantially revised to include new case law, new methods, and new guidance based on the latest research on competency to stand trial. Writing in the style of a senior mentor's advice, Grisso has distilled this process into the "least you need to know" for performing creditable evaluations and reports. Consistent with its streamlined objectives, this book informs practice that is consistent with the latest methods and research, but it leaves the detailed analyses to other references. This book offers ample direction to resources where you can find that advanced information as you further develop your skills for competent evaluations. This book is an ideal first-exposure to competency to stand trial evaluations for graduate students, clinicians who are re-tooling for forensic practice, undergraduates who are getting their "first look" at forensic psychology, as a refresher course on recent evaluation techniques for those already conducting such evaluations & appearing in court, and as pre-meeting reading for participants in competency to stand trial workshops.