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*Common app code: Central27
Mireya Benjamin
Mentor: Dr. Kyle Scherr
Research: Examining the Outcomes of Behavioral and Personality Disorder Diagnosis on Juvenile Adjudication
Under 18 U.S.C. § 5037(c–e), courts may commit adjudicated juvenile delinquents to the Attorney General for inpatient or outpatient evaluation of personal traits, capabilities, background, and mental or physical conditions. However, federal law lacks a separate juvenile competency statute comparable to 18 U.S.C. § 4241, which governs adult competency. As a result, juveniles in delinquency proceedings are addressed under adult competency standards that may not account for developmental differences affecting due process. This study reviews 20 juvenile competency evaluations to examine whether mental, behavioral, developmental disorders, or immaturity are associated with competency rulings. Although these factors correlated with findings of incompetency, results were not statistically significant, likely due to the small sample. Significant correlations were found with other factors, including age and charges.