| Abstract: | The forensic evaluation of an adolescent who has been arrested or is facing adjudication has important ramifications for the youth's present and future welfare. This paper reviews the knowledge base pertinent to forensic evaluations of adolescents, including the legal, social, developmental, and psychological factors underpinning such assessments. It then outlines an approach to assessment that employs a tripartite model of history, interviews and observations, and psychological tests. The manner in which information is reported to decisionmakers is also scrutinized. |
