Knowledge and Opinions of Fitness to Stand Trial Elements in Australia

Abstract

Fitness to stand trial (equivalent to competency to stand trial) requires that defendants have a basic understanding of the purpose of the trial and the trial procedures. Little is known, however, about what constitutes a basic factual understanding of the matters. This study developed a legal knowledge survey in which participants were asked to define legal concepts and respond to legal scenarios. They then rated the importance of each component of the fitness to stand trial test to achieving a fair trial. Participants (N = 393; females 69.7%) aged between 18 and 66-years (M = 31.26-years, SD = 11.48-years) from each Australian state and territory completed the online survey. Legal knowledge was high (86.5% correct) and there was no difference between participants on any clinical (e.g., current or past mental illness, neurological conditions), criminological (e.g., criminal history), or demographic variable (e.g., gender, employment, education), except age (curvilinear R2 = .12). Participants under 30-years old used significantly more Americanisms on difficult items compared with participants over 30-years old. On average, participants rated almost every component of the legal test as “extremely important” to a fair trial. The legal knowledge survey had good psychometric properties (Cronbach’s α = .86, interrater reliability ĸ > .80 on most variables, single solution factor analysis). Overall, the results support the presumption underpinning the Australian test for fitness, which is that people possess a basic factual understanding of a trial and trial procedures. Further research should focus on testing knowledge in special populations (e.g., mental illness, dementia, intellectual disability).