All too often, individuals with serious mental illness are arrested. When they face criminal charges, it is not uncommon that their competence to stand trial may be raised. The idea that defendants must be competent to face their criminal charges is rooted in Constitutional Rights and supported by landmark legal cases. If these defendants are found incompetent to stand trial (IST), they may be ordered for “competence restoration.”  Across the United States today, defendants found IST are waiting for restoration services-often in jails– and yet there is frequently a misunderstanding about the purpose of restoration. This webinar will review the basics related to criminal processes pertaining to competence to stand trial and competence restoration. It will cover some of the case law and some of the current system dynamics at play across the country leading to waits for services. It will also give providers a better sense of what it means when individuals they are treating are in the competency and forensic system.