Recidivism In Juvenile Court

Juvenile transfer is the process of removing juvenile offenders from the juvenile court and placing them into the adult court. Although states implement this process in varying ways, it is seen in different viewpoints as either having a positive effect on juveniles or a negative effect. Studies have been conducted examining the statistics regarding recidivism for juveniles who have been transferred to the adult court versus those who have not. After taking a look at these two perspectives, I have gained a broader understanding of the multiple studies that have been conducted over juvenile transfer and its effectiveness, and have come to the conclusion that it is a sound policy that should continue to be used in the United States for certain
For example, Lanza-Kaduce and colleagues conducted research which showed that juvenile transfer actually had a negative effect on juveniles, and that its primary purpose of deterring and lowering delinquency was not being achieved. The study found that those individuals who had been transferred into the adult court had a much higher rate of recidivism compared to those who remained in the juvenile court. They also found that recidivism of violent crimes was higher among those who had been transferred. (Lanza-Kaduce, p. 67). These results conclude that juveniles are negatively affected by transfer into the adult court, and lead us to ask why. The overall experience of the adult court process could be to blame for the resulting negative effects; however, it could be attributed to the harsher sanctions that are imposed. For instance, as the offender goes through the process of the adult court (trial,
For example, Jordon (2011) concluded that youth transferred into adult court have a lower probability of re-arrest than those who remain in juvenile court. The study showed that there were limitations to prior research including hidden bias, indicating that the results were incorrect. If the prior studies revealed statistics that had biased results, we can confidently reexamine the effectiveness of juvenile transfer and discover other studies which attempt to correct the mistakes of prior research. According to Jordon’s study, statistics conclude that juveniles who are placed into the adult court have a higher likelihood of successfully reintegrating into the community as compared to those who remain in the juvenile court. “Using the same analysis, this study found that the average recidivism rate for decertified youth is 0.70 and 0.56 for non-decertified youth. The result is statistically significant (p50.05), suggesting that decertified youth are more likely to recidivate than nondecertified youth.” (Jordon 2011 p. 60). After examining the differences of the various studies that have been conducted, we see that perhaps the effectiveness is based on an individual basis more than a general success rate. For instance, the results of the studies might differ due to the fact that juveniles are so diverse and have many varying characteristics, which needs to be