Ivan Kruh and Christina Riggs Romaine presented a half-day webinar to juvenile defense attorneys affiliated with the Northeast Region of The Gault Center on September 29, 2023, entitled 'Developmental Immaturity in Juvenile Competency.'

States are diverse in how they define competency to stand trial in juvenile courts, but across most jurisdictions there has been increased sensitivity to the role developmental immaturity can play in limiting the capacities of youths to understand the nature of the proceedings they face and to assist in their defense. Drs. Riggs Romaine and Kruh reviewed relevant concepts in normal adolescent cognitive and psychosocial development, as well as the impacts of development on childhood psychopathology. They discussed how these factors can impact four key functional components of competency, and reviewed the scientific literature on development and competency. They offered guidance on important elements of a developmentally sensitive competency evaluation, reviewed differences between the juvenile competency standards across the attending states (Delaware, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania), and explained research on how different standards seem to impact court decision making. They discussed red flags that defense attorneys should be attuned to when considering which youth to refer for a competency evaluation and they ended the training with an overview of current practices in juvenile competency remediation programs nationally.

If you are interested in having Dr. Kruh provide a training on juvenile competency evaluations through NYSAP or you are in need of a juvenile competency evaluation, please contact Dr. Kruh at [email protected].