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The impact of juveniles' ages and levels of psychosocial maturity on judges' opinions about adjudicative competence
Journal article   Peer reviewed

The impact of juveniles' ages and levels of psychosocial maturity on judges' opinions about adjudicative competence

Jennifer Mayer Cox, Naomi E S Goldstein, John Dolores, Amanda D Zelechoski and Sharon Messenheimer
Law and human behavior, v 36(1)
Feb 2012
PMID: 22471382

Abstract

Age Factors United States Humans Juvenile Delinquency - psychology Adolescent Mental Competency - legislation & jurisprudence Surveys and Questionnaires Child Judgment Juvenile Delinquency - legislation & jurisprudence
This study investigated whether defendants' ages and levels of psychosocial maturity would affect judges' ratings of juveniles' adjudicative competence in juvenile and criminal court. Three hundred forty two judges reviewed a forensic psychological report about a hypothetical defendant; only the defendant's age (12-17) and maturity level (mature, immature) varied across reports. Results revealed a main effect of age, with older juveniles generally deemed more competent, and a main effect of maturity, with mature juveniles generally deemed more competent. No interaction was found. Results suggest that age and maturity play major roles in judicial determinations of juvenile competency.

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11 citations in Scopus

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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
#3 Good Health and Well-Being

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Web of Science research areas
Law
Psychology, Social
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