ABSTRACT

The evaluation of justice-involved youth on the issues of disposition and transfer has seen substantial progress in relevance and reliability, particularly in the last two decades. There is a clear legal trend, seen in the US Supreme Court decisions in Roper, Graham, Miller, and Montgomery, away from mandated decisions and toward discretionary, individualized consideration in decisions regarding juveniles. An important advance in the assessment of risk and needs in justice-involved youth during the last decade has involved the increased awareness of the potential impact of trauma and adverse experience on risk of re-offending. The development of model law, ethical guidelines, and practice guidelines is a useful function of national organizations and more specialized organizations. Juvenile forensic evaluation requires specialized training, knowledge, and skills. The outcome that is most consistent with juvenile law and precedent involves re-offending. The availability of relevant psychological tests that are valid for juvenile assessment purposes is helpful.