Effectiveness of participation as a defendant: the attorney-juvenile client relationship

• Published in: Behavioral sciences & the law Vol. 21; no. 2; pp. 175 - 198
• Main Authors: Schmidt, Melinda G., Reppucci, N. Dickon, Woolard, Jennifer L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chichester, UK John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 01.01.2003
• Subjects: Adolescent; Age Factors; Attorneys; Case-Control Studies; Child; Competence; Decision Making; Human Development; Humans; Interpersonal Relations; Judgment; Juvenile Delinquency - legislation & jurisprudence; Juvenile offenders; Lawyers; Logistic Models; Male; Mental Competency - legislation & jurisprudence; Multivariate Analysis; Participation; Prisoners; Roles; Trust; United States; USA; United States
• ISSN: 0735-3936; 1099-0798
• DOI: 10.1002/bsl.532

Recent changes in the processing of juveniles in the justice system place greater significance on children's capacities to participate in legal contexts. Effective participation as a defendant encompasses abilities beyond those legally required for adjudicative competence, which may nevertheless influence the quality and nature of a defendant's participation in the trial process. Based in developmental judgment theory, the current study compares 203 juveniles and 110 adults detained pre‐trial using a hypothetical attorney–client vignette to examine how psychosocial factors are reflected in decision‐making processes and link to decision outcomes and effective participation within the attorney–client relationship. Age‐related differences in legally relevant decision‐making processes and outcomes are identified, and implications for policy are made. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.