Mental competency Tests
Mental incompetency means that a person has impaired, or extremely limited ability to remember, reason, or see the consequences of their actions. If someone mentally incompetent commits a crime, they cannot be held to the same standard as a mentally competent person who committed the same crime, because they were either unaware of what they were doing, or unaware of the consequences.
Doctors test for incompetency by testing both mental and physical functioning. A person's competency is often questioned if they have mental retardation, mental illness, severe head injuries, or apparent recent memory loss or confusion.
Doctor's often start by using a Mini-Mental Status Examination. They ask simple questions, such as what day of the week it is, where the person works, to remember words, or spell a word backward. The patient is then graded on a 30 point scale. Other tests may be preformed, such as indepth neurophysiological examination, tests for depression, and tests of a person's ability to preform basic daily activities.
If a criminal is declared mentally incompetent, they will most likely be sentenced to a state institution rather than jail, or be given a treatment plan to help them if they are a more "minor" criminal.
There are also mental capacity tests which test how a person thinks, and can be used as part of a mental competency test. An example of one follows.
1) How do you put a giraffe in the refrigerator?
You open the door and put it in, and close the door.
This tests whether you do simple things in a complicated way.
2) How do you put an elephant in the refrigerator?
You open the door, take out the giraffe, put the elephant in, and close the door.
This tests your ability to think through the repercussions of your actions.
3) The lion king is hosting an animal conference. All the animals attend except one. Which animal is that?
The elephant. It's in the refrigerator.
This tests your memory.
4)There is a river you must cross, but it is inhabited by crocodiles. How do you manage it?
You swim across. All the crocodiles are at the animal conference.
This tests your ability to learn quickly from your mistakes.
Doctors test for incompetency by testing both mental and physical functioning. A person's competency is often questioned if they have mental retardation, mental illness, severe head injuries, or apparent recent memory loss or confusion.
Doctor's often start by using a Mini-Mental Status Examination. They ask simple questions, such as what day of the week it is, where the person works, to remember words, or spell a word backward. The patient is then graded on a 30 point scale. Other tests may be preformed, such as indepth neurophysiological examination, tests for depression, and tests of a person's ability to preform basic daily activities.
If a criminal is declared mentally incompetent, they will most likely be sentenced to a state institution rather than jail, or be given a treatment plan to help them if they are a more "minor" criminal.
There are also mental capacity tests which test how a person thinks, and can be used as part of a mental competency test. An example of one follows.
1) How do you put a giraffe in the refrigerator?
You open the door and put it in, and close the door.
This tests whether you do simple things in a complicated way.
2) How do you put an elephant in the refrigerator?
You open the door, take out the giraffe, put the elephant in, and close the door.
This tests your ability to think through the repercussions of your actions.
3) The lion king is hosting an animal conference. All the animals attend except one. Which animal is that?
The elephant. It's in the refrigerator.
This tests your memory.
4)There is a river you must cross, but it is inhabited by crocodiles. How do you manage it?
You swim across. All the crocodiles are at the animal conference.
This tests your ability to learn quickly from your mistakes.