GROUP-DYNAMICS IN FORENSIC PRETRIAL DECISION-MAKING

This study examines how forensic evaluators' opinions that pertain to diagnosis, competency to stand trial, and criminal responsibility (Mar yland's version of the not guilty by reason of insanity plea) are rend ered at a state forensic hospital for defendants pleading not criminal ly responsible, Pretrial evaluations completed independently by a psyc hiatrist, a psychologist, and a social worker were presented at a fore nsic staff conference where psychiatrists and psychologists openly ''v oted'' on diagnosis, competency to stand trial, and criminal responsib ility, These results were then sent to the court, The purpose of this study was to assess the clinicians' level of agreement and the role th at conformity played in the decision-making process, A sample of twent y court-ordered pretrial evaluations of defendants examined at the hos pital between March and June 1991, with evaluators' opinions generated by a secret ballot, were compared with a matched control group from a n earlier time, when opinions were generated by open ballot, The study was designed to compare the opinions of forensic evaluators in issues of diagnosis, competency to stand trial, and criminal responsibility between the two samples, The defendants in the experimental group and the control group were matched on the basis of age, race, sex, and off ense, It was hypothesized that with secret ballot voting there would b e greater disparity of agreement regarding diagnosis, competency to st and trial, and criminal responsibility opinions compared with the open method of voting, However, the results of this study did not support that hypothesis, There was little disparity on forensic opinions rated either by secret or open voting.