Evaluations of Competency to be Executed

Abstract

With the Supreme Court's decision in Ford v. Wainwright (1986), and the increasing numbers of persons sentenced to death, mental health professionals working in criminal settings can anticipate increased involvement in proceedings examining a condemned prisoner's competency to be executed. This article explores the legal context and clinical aspects of such evaluations. First, the substantive legal test and legal procedures surrounding an assessment of competency to be executed are presented. Salient elements of the legal process of determining competency are discussed. Next, assessment techniques are reviewed. Finally, the issue of mental health professionals answering the ultimate legal issue, as applied to competency to be executed evaluations, is addressed.