Transfer of Juveniles to Adult Court

Abstract

The transfer or waiver of juveniles to adult court is the legal process by which defendants who have not reached the age of adulthood (as statutorily defined for a particular jurisdiction) are moved from juvenile court jurisdiction into adult criminal court where they are subject to prosecution as adults. This entry reviews the history of transfer laws, the types of transfer laws, the types of juveniles transferred to criminal court, and the effects of transfer laws on juvenile offending.