DEVELOPMENT OF THE GALYA INDIVIDUALIZED COMPETENCY RESTORATION PROGRAM FOR FORENSIC PSYCHIATRIC PATIENTS

Abstract

                Objective: 1) to develop the Galya Individualized Competency Restoration Program (Galya-ICR) for forensic psychiatric patients, and 2) to examine the outcomes of the Galya-ICR.

                Methods: This research and development project was divided into two phases, each of which included seven procedures. The program outcomes were evaluated twice. The participants were forensic psychiatric patients who were incompetent to stand trial and were sent to undergo mental examination under Section 14 of the Criminal Procedure Code. The first evaluation was carried out with 20 participants (pretest-posttest control group design), and the second included 10 participants (pretest-posttest one group design). Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants according to the specified criteria. Each participant was required to use the program four times in the same program. The research instruments were the Galya-ICR and the Galya Competency to Stand Trial (Galya-CST). The data were analyzed using independent t-test and paired t-test.

                Results: The first evaluation results revealed that after the experiment, the experimental group had a statistically significantly higher mean score (Mean = 31.10, SD = 2.56) on the competency to stand trial (p < .05), and their mean score was significantly higher than that of the control group (Mean = 18.30, SD = 5.81) (p < .05). The second evaluation results also showed that the experimental group’s mean score (Mean = 92.90, SD = 9.15) on the competency to stand trial was significantly higher than before the experiment (Mean = 31.20, SD = 14.44) (p < .05), and all of them were able to stand trial after being discharged from the hospital.

                Conclusion: The Galya Individualized Competency Restoration Program could assist forensic psychiatric patients in regaining their competency to stand trial and should be included in a forensic psychiatric patient service system so that professional nurses can use it to restore forensic psychiatric patients’ competency to stand trial in a more effective and timely manner.