Law and Mental Disability, Co-Sponsored by Criminal Justice, Immigration Law, Disability Law, Law and the Social Sciences, and Law, Medicine and Health Care

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The landscape of competency has undergone a significant shift as courts and legislatures have increasingly recognized that definitions of legal competency must be closely tailored to context and have struggled to respect the competing interests at stake in these determinations. This program will explore current, contested issues of competency in criminal and immigration proceedings. Panelists will examine the evolving role of mental capacity in removal proceedings, custodial interrogations, self-representation at criminal trials, and execution. The panel will conclude with a discussion of possible revisions to the competency portions of the mental health standards of the American Bar Association Criminal Justice Standards.