Final answer:
Prior to 1972, defendants deemed incompetent to stand trial were often indefinitely institutionalized without proper legal resolution. Legal protections now require competency evaluations to safeguard the rights of these individuals.
Step-by-step explanation:
Prior to 1972, defendants found incompetent to stand trial were often placed in mental institutions indefinitely. In most cases, these defendants were not given the opportunity to become competent to stand trial. Their trial would cease to continue, and the prosecution could drop the case without a resolution. This lack of due process and the indefinite detention of incompetent defendants was problematic, as the contributors to delays were often not addressed, which meant the defendants could be held for longer than they might have been sentenced if found guilty. The competence to stand trial is a fundamental right protected by case laws such as Dusky v. United States and Ford v. Wainwright, which established the right to a competency evaluation before proceeding to trial or execution. These legal standards strive to ensure that defendants have the mental capacity to understand the proceedings and to participate in their defense.