JUVENILES UNDERSTANDING OF TRIAL-RELATED INFORMATION - ARE THEY COMPETENT DEFENDANTS

There exists a national trend towering the age to transfer children fa cing serious charges to adult court for trial. This study examined juv enile offenders' understanding of factual information about trials. Ju veniles ages 11 through 16 experiencing their first institutional plac ement were administered a competence to stand trial screening measure, shown an educational videotape, and readministered the measure. Findi ngs suggest that a majority do not have sufficient understanding for m eaningful participation in their trials. Special care appears warrante d with juveniles ages 13 and under, and juveniles with low average or below average IQ scores. Further, substantial training may be necessar y for some juvenile offenders. (C) 1997 by John Whey & Sons, Ltd.