Competency to stand trial demands that a defendant understands the purpose and nature of the legal proceedings and be able to cooperate effectively with counsel in defense. To appreciate the proceedings, a defendant has to be able to understand the charges and the penalties if convicted. On the other hand, sanity refers to the defendant mental status while committing a crime. A defendant is considered insane if the act’s commission was due to mental defect or disease, and thus lacking, the capacity either to conform his act to the law’s requirement or appreciate the wrongfulness of his act (Stafford & Sellbom, n.d.). Place Order Now The legal standard employed to establish competency through evaluation demand that a forensic psychiatrist employ mental status examination to evaluate the general mental health of the defendant. This includes cognitive ability, memory, judgment, understanding and appreciation. The psycholegal questions that need to be address include the cu...
