Competency evaluations in Connecticut

New procedures for conducting competency evaluations were adopted in Connecticut in 1975 as a result of a change in the state law. The accused person is now evaluated in the setting in which he finds himself by virtue of his conflict with the criminal justice system, rather than automatically being remanded to the state hospital for evaluation. The criteria used are legal rather than medical-psychiatric, and the evaluations are conducted by a mental health team consisting of a psychiatric social worker, a psychiatrist, and a psychologist. The authors describe the procedures and discuss the benefits deriving from them, as well as some of the real and potential problems.