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Contextualizing the Impact of Legal Representation on Juvenile Delinquency Outcomes: A Review of Research and Policy
Author(s) -
Kokkalera Stuti S.,
Tallas Annmarie,
Goggin Kelly
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
juvenile and family court journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.155
H-Index - 19
eISSN - 1755-6988
pISSN - 0161-7109
DOI - 10.1111/jfcj.12192
Subject(s) - juvenile delinquency , statutory law , representation (politics) , juvenile , criminology , state (computer science) , empirical research , political science , psychology , law , computer science , philosophy , epistemology , algorithm , politics , biology , genetics
This study examines the empirical research on legal representation in delinquency proceedings and situates it in the broader investigation of how states provide legal assistance to juvenile defendants. Our review of empirical studies found that attorney presence was an aggravating factor in dispositional decisions. After closely examining state statutory provisions on legal representation in juvenile delinquency proceedings, we suggest that the penalty effect of attorney presence is an artifact of the variation in state laws governing access and oversight of juvenile counsel. We conclude with suggestions for future research, policy, and practice.