The Recidivism of Violent Youths in Juvenile and Adult Court

Abstract

Contemporary research suggests that increased efforts to transfer juveniles to the adult criminal justice system may backfire because waived youths generally exhibit greater recidivism as compared to similar offenders retained in juvenile court. One concern with this research is the possibility of selection bias, meaning that the findings could be explained as merely a simple consequence of the highest risk youth being transferred. This study examined this issue for 494 violent youths from Pennsylvania, of which 79 were waived to adult court and 415 were retained in juvenile court. The likelihood, seriousness, and timing of their recidivism were analyzed, with a statistical control for selection bias included. The findings still suggest heightened recidivism among the transferred youths.