Evaluations for Sentencing of Juveniles in Criminal Court

Young people charged with serious offenses may be tried in criminal court. The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that, if convicted in criminal court, juveniles' sentencing must take into account their relative developmental immaturity compared to adults. Therefore, Judges and attorneys in these cases need information from forensic mental health examiners about a youth's degree of immaturity and its relevance for sentencing. This is the first book to provide forensic
mental health examiners a legal and developmental foundation for these evaluations, as well as best practices for performing the evaluation and communicating it to the court.