Clinical guidelines for management of patients under Lieutenant Governor's Warrants

This paper examines three categories of mentally abnormal offenders who are held under Lieutenant Governor's Warrants. It explores the psychiatric-legal issues in cases of pre-trial (not fit to stand trial) and post-trial (not guilty by reason of insanity) L.G.W.'s. An attempt is made to provide a structure for such psychiatric-legal evaluations. Clinical guidelines are offered about the objectives, the assumptions and the criteria which form the basis of such evaluations. Suggestions are made for collection of relevant data which should inform psychiatric and legal judgement-making in this area. The role of the psychotropic medication in N.G.I. cases is discussed. It is recommended that whenever medically feasible, a controlled drug-free trial should be carried out in N.G.I. cases prior to their final release, in order to unambiguously establish their need for medication.