NCJ Number
60942
Journal
JOURNAL OF FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY Volume: 7 Issue: 1 Dated: (JANUARY 1979) Pages: 55-62
Date Published
1979
Length
8 pages
Annotation
PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATIONS OF 41 JUVENILE OFFENDERS WERE CONDUCTED IN ORDER TO DETERMINE WHETHER ADOLESCENTS CERTIFIED FOR TRIAL AS ADULTS ARE DIFFERENT FROM THOSE AGAINST WHOM SUCH PROCEEDINGS ARE NOT FILED.
Abstract
TEXAS COURTS CONSIDER PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATIONS IN DETERMINING WAIVERS OF JUVENILE JURISDICTION, BUT THE COMPARATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF THOSE CERTIFIED FOR TRIAL AS ADULTS AND THOSE NOT CONSIDERED HAVE NOT BEEN STUDIED PREVIOUSLY. THE GROUP STUDIED CONSISTED OF 15 AND 16 YEAR-OLDS REFERRED TO A METROPOLITAN JUVENILE PROBATION DEPARTMENT IN TEXAS FOR MAJOR CRIMES (MURDER, ASSAULT TO MURDER, RAPE, ROBBERY BY FIREARMS, AND OTHER CRIMES). TESTS USED INCLUDED THE WECHSLER ADULT INTELLIGENCE SCALE, MINNESOTA MULTIPHASIC PERSONALITY INVENTORY (MMPI), BENDER-GESTALT, RORSCHACH, DRAW-A-PERSON, AND CLINICAL INTERVIEWS. ALTHOUGH THE OFFENDERS' MMPI PROFILE PATTERNS DID NOT DIFFER FROM NORMAL SUBJECTS OR THE TYPICAL DELINQUENT, RESULTS SUGGESTED SLIGHTLY HIGHER ELEVATIONS IN COMPARISON WITH THE GENERAL POPULATION. THE OFFENDERS DIFFERED FROM TYPICAL ADOLESCENTS IN THEIR NEED TO RATIONALIZE THEIR OWN BEHAVIOR AND TO APPEAR NOT DIFFERENT FROM OTHERS, AND IN THEIR VIEW OF THE WORLD AS CAPRICIOUS AND DANGEROUS. INTELLIGENCE TEST SCORES SHOWED A GENERAL PATTERN OF UNDERACHIEVEMENT AS WELL AS AN ACTION CENTERED, NONREFLECTIVE, CONCRETE ORIENTATION TO LIFE. THESE RESULTS COMBINED WITH OTHER EVIDENCE THAT NONDELINQUENT JUVENILES COMMIT AS MANY OFFENSES AS DELINQUENT JUVENILES SUGGESTS THAT JUVENILE AUTHORITIES TEND TO APPREHEND THE LESS INTELLIGENT ADOLESCENTS. TABLES AND A REFERENCE LIST ARE INCLUDED. (CFW)