The ECST-R is a semistructured interview designed to assess dimensions of competency to stand trial as propounded in Dusky v. United States (1960) and consistently affirmed in subsequent Supreme Court decisions.

Features and benefits

• Contains 18 items and three individual scales that assess separate dimensions of competency to stand trial: Factual Understanding of the Courtroom Proceedings, Rational Understanding of the Courtroom Proceedings, and Consult with Counsel.
• Includes 28 items and five scales for atypical presentation: Realistic, Psychotic, Nonpsychotic, Impairment, and Both (Psychotic and Nonpsychotic combined).
• Provides five important advantages over existing competency measures: Congruence with the Dusky standard, established construct validity, admissibility under the Daubert standard, systematic screening for feigned incompetency, and focus on case-specific information.
• Provides a systematic screening for feigned incompetency to stand trial, with questions probing purported impairment and symptomatology specifically germane to competency issues.
• Validated on defendants with a range of cognitive abilities. Most defendants with functional intelligence in the borderline and upper level of mild mental retardation (i.e., IQs = 60-69) can be tested with the ECST-R.