Dusky v. United States
Dusky v. United States | |
---|---|
Holding | |
The competency standard for standing trial: whether the defendant has "sufficient present ability to consult with his lawyer with a reasonable degree of rational understanding" and a "rational as well as factual understanding of the proceedings against him." | |
Court membership | |
| |
Case opinion | |
Per curiam |
Dusky v. United States, 362 U.S. 402 (1960), was a
Background
Milton Dusky, a 33-year-old man, was charged with assisting in the kidnapping and rape of an underage female. He clearly had schizophrenia but was found competent to stand trial and received a sentence of 45 years. On petition of
Decision
Upon reviewing the evidence, the court decided to grant the writ of certiorari. The court ruled that to be competent to stand trial the defendant must have a "sufficient present ability to consult with his lawyer with a reasonable degree of rational understanding" and a "rational as well as factual understanding of the proceedings against him."
Significance
This case set the current standard for adjudicative competence in the United States. Although the statutes addressing competency vary from state to state in the United States, the two elements outlined in the decision are held in common:
- The defendant must understand the charges against him or her
- The defendant must have the ability to aid his or her attorney in his or her own defense.[1][3]
Subsequently, in Godinez v. Moran (1993), the Supreme Court held that the competency standard for pleading guilty or waiving the right to counsel is the same as the competency standard for standing trial established in Dusky.[4] In Indiana v. Edwards (2008), however, the Supreme Court made a distinction between competence to waive counsel (CTWC), which was the subject of Godinez, and competence to represent oneself (CTRO). The majority opinion, authored by Breyer, noted, "In certain instances an individual may well be able to satisfy Dusky's mental competence standard, for he will be able to work with counsel at trial, yet at the same time he may be unable to carry out the basic tasks needed to present his own defense without the help of counsel." However, the court did not actually provide a CTRO standard, opting instead to leave this to legislatures and lower courts.[5]
Felhous (2011) argues that many state statutes and the federal statute do not incorporate the rationality standard enunciated in Dusky, and that various post-Dusky court decisions had not consistently affirmed the rationality standard.[6]
See also
- List of criminal competencies
- List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 362
- Faretta v. California, 422 U.S. 806 (1975)
- Ford v. Wainwright, 477 U.S. 399 (1986)
- United States v. Binion, 900 S.W.2d 702 (2005)
References
- ^ a b c Dusky v. United States, 362 U.S. 402 (1960). This article incorporates public domain material from this U.S government document.
- ^ a b c "Assessment of Competency and Sanity". Archived from the original on June 4, 2007. Retrieved October 5, 2007.
- ISBN 978-0-943158-51-8.
- ^ Godinez v. Moran, 509 U.S. 389 (1993).
- PMID 20698084.
- ^ Felthous, A. R. (2011). Competence to stand trial should require rational understanding. Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, 39(1), 19-30. http://www.jaapl.org/content/39/1/19.full
External links
- Text of Dusky v. United States, 362 U.S. 402 (1960) is available from: CourtListener Findlaw Google Scholar Justia Library of Congress Oyez (oral argument audio)