Implementation and Evaluation of Videoconferencing for Forensic Competency Evaluation

The demand for court-ordered pretrial forensic evaluations has increased substantially in the United States and has resulted in long waitlists for services. This has caused concerns about the civil liberties of persons who are waiting for evaluations, especially among defendants with severe mental illness or intellectual disabilities. This article describes the implementation and results of the first program evaluation of the use of videoconferencing (VC) to conduct adult forensic evaluation services in the State of Washington. Four county jails, two state hospitals, two competency restoration residential treatment facilities, and two state offices were connected through secure VC link. Attorneys were allowed to attend sessions by three-way conference. Data were collected during and after each VC session. Fifty competency evaluations to stand trial interviews were completed during the first year of the program. Psychotic symptoms of defendants did not impair interviews, although some network-related technical problems did occur. The overall results provide initial support for the feasibility and safety of forensic competency evaluation services delivered by VC. VC can improve the efficiency of pretrial competency to stand trial evaluations. The use of the VC capability to provide training to the forensic evaluators, meetings, and supervision is an additional benefit. The capability to conduct competency to stand trial evaluation interviews through VC has the potential to help meet the growing demand for these services in the State of Washington and beyond.