The MacArthur Adjudicative Competence Study: The Development and Validation of a Research Instrument

Steven K. Hoge; Richard J. Bonnie; Norman Poythress; John Monahan; Marlene Eisenberg; Thomas Feucht-Haviar

doi:10.1023/A:1024826312495

The MacArthur Adjudicative Competence Study: The Development and Validation of a Research Instrument

Steven K. Hoge, Richard J. Bonnie, Norman Poythress, John Monahan, Marlene Eisenberg, Thomas Feucht-Haviar

University of South Florida

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Assessment of competence to stand trial is a common evaluation that can have substantial consequences for defendants and the criminal justice system. Despite a voluminous literature, much remains unknown. An obstacle to progress in understanding what is better termed ldquoadjudicative competencerdquo is the absence of structured, standardized research measures for assessment of defendants. This article presents the legal framework, assessment strategy, instrument description, psychometric properties, and construct validation of the MacArthur Structured Assessment of the Competencies of Criminal Defendants (MacSAC-CD). The measures meet or exceed accepted indices of internal consistency, and interscorer agreement. Observed patterns of correlations among measures support the underlying theoretical structure of competence-related abilities. Moreover, the MacSAC-CD distinguishes groups of competent and incompetent defendants; reflects changes in competence status; and correlates positively with clinical judgments, negatively with psychopathology and impaired cognitive functioning, and negligibly with cynicism toward the justice system

Original language	American English
Journal	Law and Human Behavior
Volume	21
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024826312495
State	Published - Jan 1 1997

Keywords

Criminal Justice
Justice System
Criminal Justice System
Assessment Strategy
Research Instrument

Disciplines

Health Law and Policy
Law
Medicine and Health Sciences
Mental and Social Health
Psychiatric and Mental Health

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10.1023/A:1024826312495License: CC BY

https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024826312495

Cite this

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title = "The MacArthur Adjudicative Competence Study: The Development and Validation of a Research Instrument",

abstract = " Assessment of competence to stand trial is a common evaluation that can have substantial consequences for defendants and the criminal justice system. Despite a voluminous literature, much remains unknown. An obstacle to progress in understanding what is better termed ldquoadjudicative competencerdquo is the absence of structured, standardized research measures for assessment of defendants. This article presents the legal framework, assessment strategy, instrument description, psychometric properties, and construct validation of the MacArthur Structured Assessment of the Competencies of Criminal Defendants (MacSAC-CD). The measures meet or exceed accepted indices of internal consistency, and interscorer agreement. Observed patterns of correlations among measures support the underlying theoretical structure of competence-related abilities. Moreover, the MacSAC-CD distinguishes groups of competent and incompetent defendants; reflects changes in competence status; and correlates positively with clinical judgments, negatively with psychopathology and impaired cognitive functioning, and negligibly with cynicism toward the justice system",

keywords = "Criminal Justice, Justice System, Criminal Justice System, Assessment Strategy, Research Instrument",

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doi = "10.1023/A:1024826312495",

language = "American English",

volume = "21",

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T1 - The MacArthur Adjudicative Competence Study: The Development and Validation of a Research Instrument

AU - Hoge, Steven K.

AU - Bonnie, Richard J.

AU - Poythress, Norman

AU - Monahan, John

AU - Eisenberg, Marlene

AU - Feucht-Haviar, Thomas

PY - 1997/1/1

Y1 - 1997/1/1

N2 - Assessment of competence to stand trial is a common evaluation that can have substantial consequences for defendants and the criminal justice system. Despite a voluminous literature, much remains unknown. An obstacle to progress in understanding what is better termed ldquoadjudicative competencerdquo is the absence of structured, standardized research measures for assessment of defendants. This article presents the legal framework, assessment strategy, instrument description, psychometric properties, and construct validation of the MacArthur Structured Assessment of the Competencies of Criminal Defendants (MacSAC-CD). The measures meet or exceed accepted indices of internal consistency, and interscorer agreement. Observed patterns of correlations among measures support the underlying theoretical structure of competence-related abilities. Moreover, the MacSAC-CD distinguishes groups of competent and incompetent defendants; reflects changes in competence status; and correlates positively with clinical judgments, negatively with psychopathology and impaired cognitive functioning, and negligibly with cynicism toward the justice system

AB - Assessment of competence to stand trial is a common evaluation that can have substantial consequences for defendants and the criminal justice system. Despite a voluminous literature, much remains unknown. An obstacle to progress in understanding what is better termed ldquoadjudicative competencerdquo is the absence of structured, standardized research measures for assessment of defendants. This article presents the legal framework, assessment strategy, instrument description, psychometric properties, and construct validation of the MacArthur Structured Assessment of the Competencies of Criminal Defendants (MacSAC-CD). The measures meet or exceed accepted indices of internal consistency, and interscorer agreement. Observed patterns of correlations among measures support the underlying theoretical structure of competence-related abilities. Moreover, the MacSAC-CD distinguishes groups of competent and incompetent defendants; reflects changes in competence status; and correlates positively with clinical judgments, negatively with psychopathology and impaired cognitive functioning, and negligibly with cynicism toward the justice system

KW - Criminal Justice

KW - Justice System

KW - Criminal Justice System

KW - Assessment Strategy

KW - Research Instrument

UR - https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/mhlp_facpub/305

UR - https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024826312495

U2 - 10.1023/A:1024826312495

DO - 10.1023/A:1024826312495

M3 - Article

VL - 21

JO - Law and Human Behavior

JF - Law and Human Behavior

ER -

The MacArthur Adjudicative Competence Study: The Development and Validation of a Research Instrument

Abstract

Keywords

Disciplines

Access to Document

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Cite this