Background
- To be deemed competent to stand trial (CST), a defendant must have the ability to consult with their lawyer and have a factual and rational understanding of the legal proceedings, which may be impacted by symptoms of their mental illness
- If the defendant is determined to be incompetent to stand trial (IST), they must undergo competency restoration including mental health treatment and education
- Although medications play an important role in competency restoration due to their ability to treat underlying psychiatric disorders, there is little information on how medications affect competency restoration
- The sole study looking at medications in forensic patients compared clozapine to haloperidol and found that patients on clozapine were more likely to stay on a conditional release for longer periods of time
Objectives
- Compare antipsychotic-related factors for time to competency restoration
- Compare length of stay between patients who could receive their antipsychotic in jail and those who could not
Read the Outcomes Study by submitting the form below.