PSYC 268 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Intellectual Disability, Insanity Defense, Actus Reus

• School: Simon Fraser University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 268
• Professor: Deborah Connolly

Document Summary

Civil involuntary hospitalization, personal injury, child custody. Competency doctrine criminal proceedings against an individual may be postponed if the defendant is unable to participate in his or her defense on account of mental disease or defect. Also protects the dignity and integrity of court proceedings allowing an incompetent individual to be tried and convicted would offend the integrity of the court and the public would see the court as being unfair. Competency to be sentenced refers to whether the defendant is able to understand the reason why he or she is to be sentenced as well as the sentence itself. A formal inquiry must occur when ever a bona fide doubt about a defendant"s competency is raised. Issue of competency can be raised by the defendant, the accused, or the court. Most common form of criminal forensic assessments conducted. Evaluations can be conducted in a relatively short period of time on an outpatient basis.