Guilty but mentally ill: the South Carolina experience

Thirty of the first 45 individuals to receive guilty but mentally ill (GBMI) verdicts in South Carolina were interviewed using a structured interview schedule for diagnosis. The relationship of diagnosis to pretrial evaluation and posttrial conviction treatment are discussed. No person received GBMI in a jury trial. Suggestions to improve the operation of the GBMI verdict are made, as well as a brief review of these data with data from other states.     

The psychometric properties of a psychosis screen in a correctional setting

Many people who go to gaol are mentally ill. Remandees, prisoner receptions or people in jails have a substantially higher rate of severe mental disorder than other prisoners and the general population. There are no completely satisfactory ways to screen for psychosis and few existing screening questionnaires are available for use in correctional establishments. The Screening Instrument for Psychosis (PS) was developed in the context of the Australian Mental Health Survey: Study of Low Prevalence Disorders. It can help indicate whether a person should be referred to mental health professional for a diagnostic evaluation and possible treatment and/or diversion. We trialled the PS in a high security remand and reception centre. Measures of validity and reliability are reported.     

The Competence-Related Abilities of Adolescent Defendants in Criminal Court

Increasing numbers of youths are being tried in criminal court because of statutory measures that have decreased the use of judicial review as the primary mechanism for transfer. The relative immaturity of adolescents suggests that transferred youths might have impaired competence-related abilities compared to adults. To test this hypothesis, we compared the competence-related abilities and developmental characteristics of a sample of direct-filed 16-17-year-olds charged in criminal court in the state of Florida (Direct File sample) to a sample of 18-24-year-old adults charged in criminal courts (Adult Offender sample) and to a separate sample of 16-17-year-olds charged in juvenile court (Juvenile Court sample). Results indicated that there were few differences between the Direct File youths and Adult Offenders. The differences that were observed suggested that the Direct Filed youths performed slightly better than the Adult Offender group and the Juvenile Court youths charged in juvenile court. These findings suggest that as a group, 16-17-year-old Direct File adolescents do not have significant deficits in competence-related abilities due to age or immaturity.     

Charting a course through difficult legislative waters: tribunal decisions on life-sustaining measures

Since the enactment in Queensland of the Powers of Attorney Act 1998 (Qld) and the Guardianship and Administration Act 2000 (Qld), a decision can be made to withhold or withdraw life-sustaining medical treatment from an adult who lacks capacity to make such decisions for herself or himself. The Guardianship and Administration Tribunal of Queensland has been asked to consider the law in relation to these decisions on a number of occasions since the legislation was passed. This article explores the relevant provisions of these statutes and some of the difficulties that arise from how they are currently drafted. It also examines how the Guardianship and Administration Tribunal has dealt with applications to withhold or withdraw life-sustaining measures, and suggests a course that might avoid some of the difficulties that are inherent in Queensland's legislative regime.     

Screening and confirmation of drugs in urine: interference of hordenine with the immunoassays and thin layer chromatography methods.

Hordenine cross-reacted with various enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) or radioimmunoassay (RIA) kits used for the screening of urine samples. Morphine-ELISA kit was most sensitive, whereas etorphine- and buprenorphine-ELISA kits were least sensitive to hordenine cross-reactivity. Hordenine also interfered with the thin layer chromatography of oxymorphone, hydromorphone and apomorphine. The major source of hordenine in humans is beer brewed from barley, whereas the major source of hordenine in horses is canary grass or barley. Therefore, the presence of hordenine in the urine of humans consuming beer or in the urine of horses consuming canary grass may give false positive values when the immunoassay and TLC methods are used for the screening of the urine sample. In order to distinguish hordenine from the opiate drugs, simple and sensitive gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric (GC/MS) and high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) methods have been developed in this study.