NCJ Number
184860
Date Published
2000
Length
31 pages
Annotation
This chapter offers a detailed account of the clinical-practice issues involved in responding to questions about competence in juvenile defendants.
Abstract
The chapter focuses on the assessment of competence to stand trial in juvenile court, but it also considers some issues relevant to assessment of juvenile defendants who are tried in adult criminal court. It includes some cursory reviews of definitional issues, with attention to how these inform the evaluation agenda. Further, it explores what clinical information is likely to be relevant to answering specific referral questions and how it may be obtained; it also briefly discusses issues of reporting results and opinions. The chapter's purpose is to provide specific advice for clinicians and lawyers regarding what a juvenile competence assessment should address, but by exploring the clinical issues in specific detail, this chapter also suggests to scholars and policymakers the variety of special concerns that arise in applying the concept of competence to stand trial to juvenile delinquency proceedings. Assessment must be based on adequate clinical expertise with children and families and should be flexible in its level of detail, reflecting the variety of potential circumstances in which competence questions may arise. 41 references