Assessing Juveniles that are Considered for Transfer to Criminal Court

4 Hours | 4 CEs

This on-demand professional training program on Assessing Juveniles that are Considered for Transfer to Criminal Court is presented by Uche F. Chibueze, Psy.D., ABPP, and Christin Smith, Psy.D.

Currently, there are no guidelines that inform the practice of how evaluators should address the criteria or factors when evaluating adolescents who are being considered for the transfer from juvenile to criminal court.

This intermediate program focuses on case law and precedent established by Kent vs. United States (1966) and other juvenile cases, as well as how they provide a guide in completing these evaluations. Research indicates that there is a lack of conformity and standardization regarding how evaluators should complete these assessments. However, some case laws and psychological research speak to the due process, emotional and behavioral functioning, brain development, and risk factors associated with adolescents.

Other areas of concern discussed are the racial discrepancies and factors noted throughout this specific legal process. Evaluators are often asked to complete an evaluation that includes the seriousness of the crime(s), assessment of the adolescent’s legal knowledge, level of dangerousness and criminal sophistication, maturity, treatment amenability, and risk for re-offending. The various psychological measures that are beneficial in these evaluations are presented and reviewed. It has also been argued that some of the aforementioned areas of focus are outside of the evaluator’s scope of practice, which is an area of debate and discussion. Overall, what the assessment process entails, how to objectively assess and present the waiver evaluation to the court, and expert court testimony are major components of this program.

The assessment measures used are the WISC-V, WAIS-IV, WRAT-5, JACI, RSTI, SAVRY, PAI-A, MMPI-A-RF, JI-R, FAVT-A, TOMM, ILK. Other measures are presented and discussed. This program is intended for evaluators at the doctoral level who work in the forensic realm, especially those who work with adolescents involved in the juvenile justice system at any stage of their career. However, having some exposure to full psychological and forensic evaluations would be helpful.