NCJ Number
143569
Journal
Justice Quarterly Volume: 9 Issue: 1 Dated: (March 1992) Pages: 127-150
Date Published
1992
Length
24 pages
Annotation
The guilty plea process in the juvenile court was examined by an analysis of state laws, court rules, and case law from all 50 states and the District of Columbia; observations of 3 juvenile courts to determine their responses to juveniles' guilty pleas; and interviews of 100 juvenile court personnel in 1988 to determine problems and solutions relating to the guilty plea process.
Abstract
Results revealed that many states either have not addressed or have not fully developed standards regarding the guilty plea process in juvenile court. Even in jurisdictions that have tried to regulate the acceptance of guilty pleas, considerable variations exist. Findings indicated that concerns about intelligence, voluntariness, and accuracy are not always addressed or resolved when defendants plead guilty in juvenile courts. Seventeen jurisdictions have adopted the measures called for in the United States Supreme Court's decision in Boykin v. Alabama in 1969; the remaining 34 states should legislate or establish court rules that provide juvenile court defendants with the same constitutional protections provided to adults who plead guilty in criminal court. Further research on this issue is also needed. Tables, footnotes, appended lists of appellate court decisions, 8 case citations, and 13 references (Author abstract modified)