Factors associated with the timing and success of remediation of youth found incompetent to stand trial in juvenile court

OBJECTIVE: Evaluators who assess competency to stand trial in juvenile court may be asked to opine about the likelihood that incompetent youth will be remediated and the necessary services for remediation. We used data obtained from initial competency evaluations to examine how demographic, legal, diagnostic, and competency-related knowledge and abilities predicted remediation of incompetent youth. HYPOTHESES: We hypothesized that most incompetent youth would be remediated within 1 year and that youth with intellectual disability would be less likely to be remediated than youth without this diagnosis. METHOD: We coded data from deidentified competency to stand trial evaluations and court records for 103 youths. The jurisdiction where data were collected sets a 1-year timeframe for remediation, but services may be extended if there is a probability the youth will eventually become competent. We used survival analyses to identify predictors of remediation, both within 1 year and at any point thereafter. RESULTS: Most (72%) incompetent youth were remediated. Prior arrest, inpatient level of care, and knowledge of court-related information were associated with remediation within 1 year. Intellectual disability was not a significant diagnostic predictor of remediation. Youth with depressive or mood symptoms and substance misuse were more likely to be remediated within 1 year than those without these conditions. Three quarters of the youth who forensic evaluators opined were "likely" to be remediated were remediated. Among youth who evaluators opined were "unlikely" to be remediated or gave an "uncertain" opinion, 57% were not remediated. CONCLUSIONS: Youth with intellectual disability were not less likely to be remediated in our sample; however, our findings suggest that baseline court-related knowledge is associated with successful remediation. Youth who received inpatient services were more likely to be remediated than those who received outpatient services, which may reflect the structure and intensity of each service within this jurisdiction. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)

Intellectual disability · Juvenile · Legal psychology · Mental health · Mental health service · Service (business) · Young adult · Child Abuse and Trauma · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending