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Automatic Transfer Law: An Effective Policy?

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Researchers conducted a national study of how the juvenile court judge weighs the pertinent Kent criteria. This criterion is based on the potential risk to the community, the maturity of character and amenability to intervention. The purpose of this study is three fold, first to test the juvenile court judges' beliefs regarding the mechanics of how juveniles are transferred, second to examine the judges' beliefs about the usefulness of data presented of them and third determined how juvenile judges' weigh pertinent psychological concepts linked to transfer cases when making a decision. There were four hypothesis based on previous research and theory, one would be juvenile judges' prefer case by case sorting and second juvenile court judges would find information on the Kent concepts useful to their decision and want the Kent information in the form of a psychological report. The third hypothesis is weighing the concepts; juveniles who scored high on dangerousness and sophistication- maturity, but low on amenability to treatment would most likely be transferred to adult court and fourth youths scoring low on the dangerousness and sophistication- maturity but high on the amenability to treatment would most likely retain in juvenile court. Participants in this study included National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. There were 1010 surveys mailed, 361 returned which is a response rate of thirty-six percent, which created a sample size of 300 males and 61 females.

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