| Abstract: | Juvenile court judges are often required to make distinctions as to whether certain adolescents should remain in the juvenile justice system or be transferred to adult courts. Typically, 3 broad factors weigh into juvenile court judges' decision making: (a) the level of danger the juvenile poses to the community, (b) the level of sophistication-maturity of the juvenile, and (c) the extent to which the juvenile is viewed as treatable. In an earlier study, knowledge of forensic and child psychologists was tapped to elucidate core characteristics related to the transfer process (R. T. Salekin et al, 2001). The current study augments that investigation. Judges provided (a) their perspective regarding the core criteria for dangerousness, sophistication-maturity, and amenability to treatment, and (b) data on the core characteristics of juveniles who were evaluated and subsequently judged to be appropriate for transfer to adult criminal courts. Policy implications for this increasingly critical interface between law and psychology are threefold: (a) Individualized assessments are key; (b) the adoption of a national standard for transfer to adult court is required; and (c) the development of treatment programs to improve the socialization of youth is necessary. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
