Citation

Morris DR. J. Am. Acad. Psychiatry Law 2022; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, Publisher American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law)

DOI

10.29158/JAAPL.210096-21

PMID

35793905

Abstract

Most competence restoration occurs in secure inpatient settings. As states struggle with strained resources and seek to best utilize restoration services, factors such as charge severity and violence risk remain key considerations in determining the appropriate setting for an individual's competence restoration. This study offers a quantitative analysis of aggressive behavior during inpatient restoration efforts and whether criminal charge severity correlates with inpatient aggression.

RESULTS of this study indicate that a substantial minority of defendants engaged in aggressive behavior and required restraint during the initial months of their hospitalizations. Most of those engaged in few episodes of aggression and required few episodes of restraint. Rates of aggression and restraint were higher in individuals with lower severity charges compared with those with higher severity charges. Courts and evaluators may have selected for a more disordered group of defendants with lower severity charges.

Language: en

Keywords

aggression and violence; competency restoration; competency to stand trial; criminal charges; forensic hospital psychiatry