NCJ Number
144935
Date Published
Unknown
Length
43 pages
Annotation
A sample of 805 adults in Georgia was surveyed by telephone regarding their views on whether adolescents accused of murder should be tried in juvenile or adult court.
Abstract
Respondents heard four scenarios in which an adolescent with no prior convictions killed a stranger, an adolescent with a criminal history killed a stranger, a first-offender adolescent killed his father, and an adolescent with prior convictions killed his father. The scenarios were then varied according to the youth's race and age, and whether or not the father had abused him. The findings showed substantial agreement on transferring repeat and older offenders to adult court. For both situations where the father had abused the adolescent, respondents recommended juvenile trials for the accused. According to the results, laypersons believe that abused youngsters act with less intention and have less understanding of the wrongfulness of their actions than non- abused juveniles. 10 notes, 40 references, and 7 tables