Restoration of competency to stand trial: Assessment with the Georgia Court Competency Test and the Competency Screening Test

Evaluations of the Georgia Court Competency Test—Mississippi Version Revised (GCCT-MSH) and the Competency Screening Test (CST) have supported their use with pretrial defendants in initial assessment of competency to stand trial. The present study evaluated the efficacy of these measures, as well as the Texas Competency Instrument, with an inpatient sample of defendants involved in a competency restoration program. Both measures were factor analyzed in an attempt to replicate previously identified factor structures. Neither factor structure was replicated; however, a distinct factor structure was identified for the GCCT-MSH. The relationships among sociodemographic variables, clinical variables, current symptomatology, and competency status (as measured by the GCCT-MSH) were evaluated using discriminant function analyses. The best predictors of GCCT-incompetency in this sample are a diagnosis of either a psychotic disorder or a nonpsychotic affective disorder as well as a low measured IQ. Current symptomatology, as measured by the SCL-90-R, was not an effective predictor of competency status.