PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - GR McKee
TI  - Competency to stand trial in preadjudicatory juveniles and adults
DP  - 1998 Mar 01
TA  - Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online
PG  - 89--99
VI  - 26
IP  - 1
4099  - http://jaapl.org/content/26/1/89.short
4100  - http://jaapl.org/content/26/1/89.full
SO  - J Am Acad Psychiatry Law1998 Mar 01; 26
AB  - This study compared the competency to stand trial (CST) of 108 juveniles (ages 7 to 16 years) and 145 adults (17 years or older) undergoing pretrial, court-ordered forensic psychiatric evaluations. Adults were superior on both global and specific competency abilities (p < .001). Clustered by age (<13, 13 and 14, 15 and 16 years old), preteens accused of crimes failed to meet a Dusky v. United States standard, while 13- and 14-year-olds displayed an equal mix of abilities and deficits. Mid-adolescents (ages 15 and 16) were equivalent to adults in CST abilities except in their knowledge about plea bargaining elements. The ramifications of CST in felony juvenile transfer to adult court as well as the needs for ecologically valid, empirically based CST research on adolescents is discussed.