Psychology 2032A/B Chapter Notes - Chapter 8: Prima Facie, James Hadfield, Outpatient Commitment

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 2032A/B
• Professor: Doug Hazlewood

Document Summary

Only medical practitioners have been allowed to conduct court-ordered assessments: the canadian criminal code excludes psychologists from conducting court- ordered assessments. Fitness instruments instead they can help in other ways. Fitness interview test revised (fit-r) assesses 3 psychological abilities stated in the. Ability to participate in defence: communicate facts, relate to his or her attorney, plan legal strategy. Competency screening test (cst) aimed at distinguishing between competent defendants who can proceed to trial and those who should undergo more testing. Competency to stand trial assessment instrument (cai) designed to accompany the. Interdisciplinary fitness interview (ifi) was developed following the analysis of cai: 4 main sections legal items, psychopathological items, overall evaluations, consensual judgement. When assessing demographic variables that factor into fit and unfit defendants, only marital status was significant fit defendants were much more likely to be married. Defendants referred to fitness evaluation tended to be single, unemployed and living alone.