An investigation of the ECST-R in male pretrial patients: evaluating the effects of feigning on competency evaluations.

Forensic clinicians have the option of employing well-validated structured interviews when conducting competency to stand trial (CST) evaluations to ensure adequate coverage of the three prongs delineated in Dusky v. United States. This study evaluates the effects of feigning on the Evaluation of Competency to Stand Trial-Revised (ECST-R) in a sample of 100 male defendants undergoing CST evaluations.

Detection strategies for malingering with the Miller Forensic Assessment of Symptoms Test: a confirmatory factor analysis of its underlying dimensions.

Two of the most widely used measures for the assessment of malingering in forensic populations are the Miller Forensic Assessment of Symptoms Test (M-FAST) and the Structured Interview of Reported Symptoms (SIRS). The underlying dimensions of the SIRS have been well established in the literature, but the structure of the M-FAST remains relatively untested. Understanding of its dimensions is critical for construct validity and guiding its proper use.

Psychopathy and behavioral correlates of victim injury in serious juvenile offenders.

The study examines delinquent behavior and psychopathy and assesses their relationship to victim injury in a population of 168 incarcerated juvenile delinquent males with lengthy histories of criminal and violent behavior. A series of multiple regressions found that 17% of the variance associated with level of victim injury was accounted for by a model that included the three-factor model of the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version [Forth, Kosson, and Hare, 2003], criminal versatility, and age of onset of criminal offending. Notably, anger and DSM-IV symptoms of conduct disorder were not related to level of victim injury.

An evaluation of malingering screens with competency to stand trial patients: a known-groups comparison.

The assessment of malingering is a fundamental component of forensic evaluations that should be considered with each referral. In systematizing the evaluation of malingering, one option is the standardized administration of screens as an initial step. The current study assessed the effectiveness of three common screening measures: the Miller Forensic Assessment of Symptoms Test (M-FAST; Miller, 2001), the Structured Inventory of Malingered Symptomatology (SIMS; Widows & Smith, 2004), and the Evaluation of Competency to Stand Trial-Revised Atypical Presentation Scale (ECST-R ATP; Rogers, Tillbrook, & Sewell, 2004).