SOCIETAL VIEWS OF JUSTICE FOR ADOLESCENTS ACCUSED OF MURDER - INCONSISTENCY BETWEEN COMMUNITY SENTIMENT AND AUTOMATIC LEGISLATIVE TRANSFERS

Examines citizens' views about when juveniles accused of homicide shou ld be tried and punished as adults. Responses from two randomly select ed samples of adults Georgian residents suggest that these views are s trongly influenced by whether adolescent defendants have been victims of abuse. Laypersons prefer juvenile court for juveniles who kill abus ive parents (76% for first time offenders, 77% for those with one prio r adjudication). Respondents are split concerning how to punish abused juveniles who have two prior adjudications (49% recommend juvenile co urt) and abused juveniles with one prior offense who kill a neighbor ( 48% recommend juvenile court). Most respondents, however, prefer adult court for repeat offenders who kill and have no history of child abus e. These findings suggest that legislative automatic transfers are ove rly simplistic compared to the contextual sensitivity of community sen timent. Policymakers may have serious misconceptions of societal views of fairness in this area.