Fitness to stand trial: 415 consecutive defendants assessed by a New Zealand forensic psychiatry service.

ABSTRACT:

Background

New Zealand defendants found unfit to stand trial following a Court-ordered forensic mental health assessment cannot be detained in prison and must either be released, or made subject to a mental health or intellectual disability order. There is increasing awareness of the need to identify these people and protect their rights.

Methods

Retrospective audit of 8 years of Court-ordered health assessor reports addressing fitness to stand trial prepared by a New Zealand regional forensic mental health service with a catchment area of around 850,000.

Results

Between 2014 and 2022, Courts referred 415 defendants for assessment of fitness to stand trial. The number of reports requested increased by 20% between 2014 and 2022. Report subjects were 81% male and had a

SUBMITTER: Wakefield A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11804146 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature