The Relationship between Language Skills and Competence to Stand Trial Abilities in Persons with Mental Retardation

Abstract

Competence to stand trial is a critical issue for persons with mental retardation. Information on related abilities such as cognitive and linguistic functioning can enhance the accuracy of evaluations. This study examined the relationship between language ability and competence to stand trial in 39 adults with mild to moderate mental retardation. Language ability was measured by the language subtests of the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability and competence to stand trial ability by Section I, Basic Legal Concepts, and Section II, Skills to Assist in Defense, of the Competence Assessment for Standing Trial for Defendants with Mental Retardation (CAST-MR). The results indicated that individuals scoring in the competent range on the CAST-MR scored significantly higher on several Woodcock-Johnson subtests and achieved significantly higher language total scores. A discriminant analysis indicated that three Woodcock-Johnson subtests predicted a competence classification accuracy rate of 78%. Implications for competence evaluation and restoration for persons with mental retardation are discussed.