Oberlander L B, Goldstein N E, Ho C N
Harvard Medical School, MA, USA.
Behav Sci Law. 2001;19(4):545-63. doi: 10.1002/bsl.459.
This article examines developmental and legal issues directed toward a downward age extension of forensic evaluation practice standards for preadolescent defendants whose competence is questioned. Existing research and practice standards were developed for cases involving adolescents and adults, but they lack sufficient application to evaluations of young children because of the ways in which legal parameters affect young children. We review practice implications of the legal role of "immaturity" for adjudicative competence, alterations of Dusky in some juvenile courts, and the role of parens patriae in competence hearings held in juvenile court. We examine competence abilities in a developmental framework. Examining practice standards is timely because adjudicative competence in preadolescent defendants has taken on recent significance. The last decade saw changes in the stringency of delinquency statutes, increased emphasis on adversarial approaches to juvenile proceedings, and a de-emphasis on rehabilitation and parens patriae protections. Statutory changes and increased referrals have heightened inquiry into the meaning of preadolescent adjudicative competence.
本文探讨了针对受审能力受到质疑的青春期前被告，法医评估实践标准向下扩展年龄范围所涉及的发展和法律问题。现有的研究和实践标准是针对涉及青少年和成年人的案件制定的，但由于法律参数影响幼儿的方式，这些标准在应用于幼儿评估时存在不足。我们回顾了“不成熟”在司法能力方面的法律作用的实践意义、一些少年法庭对达斯基标准（Dusky）的改变，以及国家监护权在少年法庭举行的能力听证中的作用。我们在一个发展框架内审视能力。审视实践标准恰逢其时，因为青春期前被告的司法能力最近受到了关注。过去十年，少年犯罪法规的严格程度发生了变化，对少年诉讼的对抗性方法的重视有所增加，而对康复和国家监护权保护的重视有所减少。法律变化和转介数量的增加，使得人们对青春期前司法能力的含义进行了更多的探究。
