Incompetent to Stand Trial (IST) Glossary

Age
Age group categories were created using age as reported in the Department of Justice Criminal Offender Record Information (DOJ CORI) dataset, and includes ages 18-24, 25-29, 30-39, 40-59, and 60+.
Age at Arrest

Age at arrest was calculated using date of arrest and Date of Birth in the DOJ CORI dataset.
Competency Evaluation

A competency evaluation is a process by which a mental health professional evaluator examines and reports on a defendants ability to stand trial.

Felony Drug
Felony drug is a drug-related felony arrest. It is calculated from values in the variable OFFENSE in the DOJ CORI dataset.
Felony Non-Violent

Felony non-violent is a felony arrest for a non violent crime. It is calculated from values in the variable OFFENSE in the DOJ CORI dataset.
Felony Violent
Felony violent is a felony arrest for a violent crime. It is calculated from values in the variable OFFENSE in the DOJ CORI dataset.
Incompetent to Stand Trial
Incompetent to stand trial (IST) is a term used to describe when an individual’s mental health symptoms become severe enough to affect their ability to understand their legal circumstances and participate adequately in their own criminal defense.
Incompetent to Stand Trial Disposition

Incompetent to stand trial disposition is the outcome of a court proceeding where a person is held and determined IST for a given offense. These cases are recorded in the Department of Justice Criminal Offender Record Information (DOJ CORI) database with one of the following disposition codes referring to Section 1370 of the California Penal Code:
415 – Prosecution suspended/Committed mentally incompetent 1370 PC
3416 – Prosecution suspended/Committed mentally incompetent 1370.1 PC
3417 -Prosecution suspended/Committed insane 1370 PC

Incompetent to Stand Trial Disposition Rates

Incompetent to stand trial (IST) disposition rates are calculated as the number of arrested persons deemed IST out of 1000 arrested persons. (calculation: 1000*(IST_Persons/Arrested_Persons)).
Known

Individuals known to the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) specialty mental health system is defined as those with any service provided through MHSA during the study period (2007 – 2015) who were found in the DOJ CORI database.
Median
Representing a ‘typical’ value, the median is the “middle” value of a sorted list of numbers. Unlike the mean, the median is not skewed by a small proportion of extremely large or small values.
Misdemeanor Drug
Misdemeanor drug is a drug-related Misdemeanor arrest. It is calculated from values in the variable OFFENSE in the DOJ CORI dataset.
Misdemeanor Non-Violent
Misdemeanor non-violent is a Misdemeanor arrest for a non violent crime. It is calculated from values in the variable OFFENSE in the DOJ CORI dataset.
Misdemeanor Violent
Misdemeanor violent is a Misdemeanor arrest for a violent crime. It is calculated from values in the variable OFFENSE in the DOJ CORI dataset.
Race Ethnicity
Grouped Race/Ethnicity categories (African American, Asian/Pacific Islander, Latino/a, Other, White/Caucasian) based on the detailed race information in the variable race_code, as reported in the DOJ CORI dataset.
Sex
Biological Sex at birth based on values as reported in the DOJ CORI dataset: Female, Male, Unknown.
Unknown
Individuals unknown to the MHSA are persons found in the DOJ CORI database but who were not linked to any record for specialty mental health services provided through the MHSA during the study period (2007 – 2015).