title: Effectiveness of participation as a defendant: the attorney-juvenile client relationship.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, 102 Gilmer Hall, University of Virginia, Box 400400, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4400, USA. mgs2k@virginia.edu
authors.forename: Melinda G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: N Dickon
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Reppucci
authors.forename: Jennifer L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Woolard
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D003657:Decision Making; D006803:Human Development; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007600:Judgment; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D033241:Lawyers; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D016743:Mental Competency / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011329:Prisoners; D035502:Trust; D014481:United States