ABSTRACT
Adolescent psychopathy has already made its way into the field of forensic practice. Some recent cases have used expert testimony on child psychopathy to make decisions about trying a child as an adult. In these cases, expert witnesses reported that the child in question was unlikely to improve with treatment within the juvenile justice system due to certain “psychopathic” personality traits. For instance, in a case reviewed by Walsh and Walsh (2006), the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R; Hare, 2003) was used by the prosecution to support the defendant’s transfer to adult court. The defendant, “John Doe #3,” who was 21 at the time of trial, was charged with ten acts committed while a minor, including armed robbery, kidnapping, murder, and distribution of cocaine among others (United States v. Doe #3, 2000). The testifying psychologist concluded that John Doe’s psychopathy score, although slightly below the cut-off, indicated a high risk for recidivism (United States v. Doe #3, 2000). Although the defendant was transferred to adult court, the judge stated that it could not be concluded that John Doe #3 was in fact a psychopath (United States v. Doe #3, 2000).
