Assessing fitness to stand trial: The utility of the fitness interview test (revised edition)

Abstract

Objective: In Canada most evaluations of fitness to stand trial are conducted on an inpatient basis. This costs time and money, and deprives those defendants remanded for evaluation of liberty. This research assessed the predictive efficiency of the Fitness Interview Test, revised edition (FIT) as a screening instrument for fitness to stand trial. Method: We compared decisions about fitness to stand trial, based on the FIT, with the results of institution-based evaluations for 2 samples of men remanded for inpatient fitness assessments. Results: The FIT demonstrates excellent utility as a screening instrument. The FIT shows good sensitivity and negative predictive power, which suggests that it can reliably screen those individuals who are clearly fit to stand trial, before they are remanded to an inpatient facility for a fitness assessment. Conclusion: We discuss the implications for evaluating fitness to stand trial, particularly in terms of the need for community-based alternatives to traditional forensic assessments.