Evaluating Juveniles Adjudicative Competence

Due to recent changes in the law pertaining to youths in juvenile and criminal court, the need to evaluate a young person’s competence to stand trial has increased dramatically. This is the first comprehensive guide offering clinicians the special concepts, procedures, and methods necessary to perform these evaluations using a developmental perspective. The book's approach to evaluating youths' competence to stand trial is consistent with nearly a decade of research by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Research Network on Adolescent Development and Juvenile Justice.

Written in 17 brief units, this guide for forensic clinicians begins with essential concepts that provide a sound legal and developmental psychological foundation for these evaluations. The guide then proceeds to describe in detail special considerations for designing the evaluation, collecting data in ways that are sensitive to deficits in youths’ abilities due to clinical disorders and potential developmental immaturity, and interpreting the results to address the special challenges associated with identifying juveniles’ capacities and deficits as trial defendants. The guide’s Appendices and CD-ROM (included with the book) provide a number of original forms and checklists for use in this evaluation process, including a structured interview - the Juvenile Adjudicative Competence Interview (JACI) - that assists clinicians in obtaining essential data related to youths’ strengths and deficits with legal and developmental relevance for their competence to stand trial.

A parallel volume, Clinical Evaluations for Juveniles’ Competence to Stand Trial: A Guide for Legal Professionals, is available for members of the legal profession. These two companion volumes offer the potential for a consensual, cross-disciplinary understanding of the legal, clinical, and developmental issues involved in the process of decisions about juveniles’ competence as trial defendants.

Introduction: Purpose of the Guide / Development of the Guide / Tour of the Guide / Using the Guide / The Guide as a Standard

Unit 1: The Legal Concept of Adjudicative Competence (Competence to Stand Trial): Adjudicative Competence in the Criminal Justice Process / Adjudicative Competence in the Juvenile Justice Process

Unit 2: A Developmental Perspective for Evaluations of Juveniles’ Adjudicative Competence: Developmental Maturity and Immaturity / Research on Youths' Capacities as Trial Defendants / Special Considerations for a Developmental Perspective in Competence Evaluations

Unit 3: The Referral - Determining the Purpose of the Evaluation: The Objective / The Process / Discussion of Special Issues

Unit 4: The Defense Attorney - Making Contact: The Objective / The Process / Discussion of Special Issues

Unit 5: The Plan - Deciding the Scope and Methods: The Objective / The Process

Unit 6: The Caretakers - Making Contact and Invitations: The Objective / The Process / Discussion of Special Issues

Unit 7: Obtaining Records: The Objective / The Process / Discussion of Special Issues

Unit 8: Overview of the Data Collection Process: Relevance: What Data Are Needed? / Reliability: How Should Data Be Collected? / Responsiveness: Adapting to Case Demands

Unit 9: Preparing the Youth and Caretakers: The Objective / The Process / Discussion of Special Issues

Unit 10: Obtaining a Developmental and Clinical History: The Objective / The Process / Discussion of Special Issues

Unit 11: Evaluating Developmental and Clinical Status: The Objective / The Process / Discussion of Special Issues

Unit 12: Assessing Competency Abilities: The Objective / The Process / Discussion of Special Issues

Unit 13: Exploring Caretakers’ Perceptions of Youth’s Adjudication: The Objective / The Process / Discussion of Special Issues

Unit 14: Overview of Interpretive Objectives: Legal Structure for the Forensic Question / Clinical Theories, Concepts, and Knowledge / Hypothesis Testing / Communication

Unit 15: Formulating Opinions Related to Competency: The Objective / The Process / Discussion of Special Issues

Unit 16: Formulating Remediation: The Objective / The Process / Discussion of Special Issues

Appendices
Appendix A: Clinician’s Records
Appendix B: Interview Guides
Preparing the Youth and Caretakers
Developmental and Clinical History
Developmental and Clinical Status
Caretakers’ Perceptions of Youth’s Adjudication
Appendix C: Juvenile Adjudicative Competence Interview (JACI)
Appendix D: Attorney CST Questionnaire

Introduction
Table of Contents of the CD-ROM
System Requirements
How to Install and Use the Files
Permission to Use This Material

Thomas Grisso, PhD, ABPP, is Professor of Psychiatry, Director of Psychology, and Coordinator of the Law and Psychiatry Program at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. The present work is a product of the collaborative efforts of the members of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Research Network on Adolescent Development and Juvenile Justice, for which Dr. Grisso Directed a research project on juveniles' adjudicative competence from 1998 to 2004. Dr. Grisso is Executive Director of the American Board of Forensic Psychology, and has authored a number of texts on forensic evaluations. His research and writing to support the quality of mental health professionals' evaluations for courts have been recognized by distinguished contribution awards from the American Psychological Association (1994, the American Board of Professional Psychology (2002), and most recently with the Isaac Ray Award from the American Psychiatric Association (2005).

Evaluating Juveniles’ Adjudicative Competence:

A Guide for Clinical Practice

Thomas Grisso, PhD, ABPP