An analysis of juvenile waiver proceedings in the Commonwealth of Kentucky

This research reports the results of a study which examined predictors of juvenile waiver in the Commonwealth of Kentucky between 1997--98. This specifically examined whether legal or extra-legal variables were significant determinants of waiver in 718 juvenile cases. Following cases. Following the substantive political perspective, it was assumed that extra-legal, as well as legal factors influence outcomes in the courtroom. However, results from the logistic regression procedure strongly suggest that a formal legal perspective, which entails the equal application of formal rules to all cases, influences the decision to waive a juvenile case to adult criminal court. Legal variables, including instant offense, prior record, and preadjudicative detention were predictors of juvenile waiver; the extra-legal variables race and sex were not significant. The only extra-legal variables of significance were age and location (urban and suburban).;Several important policy implications emerge from the extant literature and this study. These include: maintaining judicial discretion in juvenile waiver proceedings; increasing treatment and community-based resources for juvenile court; mandating psychological assessments specifically for the purposes of assessing the maturity of juvenile court defendants eligible for waiver; developing more treatment options for youthful offenders charged with drug-related offenses; and retaining first-time violent offenders under the jurisdiction of juvenile court.