Forensic Mental Health Screening and Evaluation in Community and Regional Forensic Mental Health Centers

• NCJ Number: 79775
• Author(s): I Keilitz; W L Fitch; T B Marvell; M E Holmstrup
• Date Published: 1981
• Length: 219 pages
• Grant Number(s): 79-NI-AX-0070
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Justice (NIJ); US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Corporate Author: National Ctr for State Courts
• Sale Source: National Ctr for State Courts; National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Perspectives on Mental Health and the Law, Occasional Paper Number 4.

Annotation

The National Center for State Courts produced this report as part of NIJ's National Evaluation Program after researching forensic mental health examination programs in community-based mental health centers. Descriptions are given of 6 of the 20 programs visited.

Abstract

The mental health centers include the Dayton Area Forensic Psychiatry Services, Dayton, Ohio; the San Mateo County Mental Health Courts and Corrections Unit, Redwood City, Calif.; the Forensic Unit of the Barren River Mental Health-Mental Retardation Board, Bowling Green, Ky.; Forensic Services of the Malcolm Bliss Mental Health Center, St. Louis, Mo.; the Forensic Unit of the Peace River Center for Personal Development, Barrow, Fla.; and the Riverside Hospital Community Mental Health Center Forensic Screening and Evaluation, Newport News, Va. The primary function of most community forensic mental health centers is to examine criminal defendants and render opinions regarding competency to stand trial, suitability for pretrial release, and psychosocial orientation bearing on sentencing and probation decisions. Some clinics perform a threshold screening function, advising the court whether the competency-to-stand-trial question merits further evaluation. Other clinics are authorized to conduct thorough evaluations and address ultimate mental-health legal questions. Most centers rely upon the clinical interview as the primary assessment tool. Each of the six program descriptions contains a brief history of the center, a summary of the center's goals and objectives, and an illustration of the flow of client-offenders into and through the center. In addition, each includes discussions of how mental health information is delineated by the referral source, acquired by the center staff, and provided to the user, as well as a review of the systems used for feedback, quality control, and program evaluation. Special features of each program are highlighted. Figures, 19 reference notes, and 22 references are provided. Appendixes presenting program forms and related materials are included. (Author summary modified)