The MacArthur Adjudicative Competence Study: The Development and Validation of a Research Instrument
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1997
Keywords
Criminal Justice, Justice System, Criminal Justice System, Assessment Strategy, Research Instrument
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024826312495
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
Was this content written or created while at USF?
Yes
Citation / Publisher Attribution
Law and Human Behavior, v. 21, issue 2, p. 141–179
Scholar Commons Citation
Hoge, Steven K.; Bonnie, Richard J.; Poythress, Norman; Monahan, John; Eisenberg, Marlene; and Feucht-Haviar, Thomas, "The MacArthur Adjudicative Competence Study: The Development and Validation of a Research Instrument" (1997). Mental Health Law & Policy Faculty Publications. 305.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/mhlp_facpub/305