Intellectual disability and adjudicative competence evaluations: A detailed review of an often-overlooked population.
https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2025-49587-001
Wood, M. E., Potts, H., & Wang, S. (2024). Intellectual disability and adjudicative competence evaluations: A detailed review of an often-overlooked population. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/law0000446
Abstract
Research has indicated that individuals with intellectual disability represent a relatively small but meaningful subset of defendants referred for adjudicative competence evaluations. While scholars have consistently argued that this population is unique and requires special consideration in terms of the competency assessment and treatment process, little is known about this population overall and/or the relative effectiveness of the uniquely tailored interventions recommended in the literature. The current study, an archival analysis of 117 court-ordered adjudicative competence evaluations, aimed to address this gap by focusing exclusively on a known group of defendants with intellectual disability. The results revealed a significantly lower base rate of opined competence (18.8%) relative to the larger population of defendants referred for competency evaluations (i.e., historically between 70% and 80%). Nearly one-quarter of the sample was opined unrestorable, which was associated with significantly lower measured intelligence (d = 0.61 and 0.91) and adaptive behavior scores (d = 1.04) than their counterparts. These results add to a very limited body of research on this subset of defendants. Implications are discussed in terms of systemic considerations, with a particular emphasis on the need for appropriate services for this subset of defendants, as well as a commitment to research on the efficacy of these interventions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2025-49587-001
Wood, M. E., Potts, H., & Wang, S. (2024). Intellectual disability and adjudicative competence evaluations: A detailed review of an often-overlooked population. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/law0000446
Abstract
Research has indicated that individuals with intellectual disability represent a relatively small but meaningful subset of defendants referred for adjudicative competence evaluations. While scholars have consistently argued that this population is unique and requires special consideration in terms of the competency assessment and treatment process, little is known about this population overall and/or the relative effectiveness of the uniquely tailored interventions recommended in the literature. The current study, an archival analysis of 117 court-ordered adjudicative competence evaluations, aimed to address this gap by focusing exclusively on a known group of defendants with intellectual disability. The results revealed a significantly lower base rate of opined competence (18.8%) relative to the larger population of defendants referred for competency evaluations (i.e., historically between 70% and 80%). Nearly one-quarter of the sample was opined unrestorable, which was associated with significantly lower measured intelligence (d = 0.61 and 0.91) and adaptive behavior scores (d = 1.04) than their counterparts. These results add to a very limited body of research on this subset of defendants. Implications are discussed in terms of systemic considerations, with a particular emphasis on the need for appropriate services for this subset of defendants, as well as a commitment to research on the efficacy of these interventions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
