The decertification of transferred youth: Examining the determinants of reverse waiver.” Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice 5

Much of the research on juvenile transfer to adult court examines the predictors of the waiver decision. Few studies, however, have focused on the determinants of decertification, a process whereby certain initially transferred youth are reverse waived to juvenile court. This study sought to examine this underresearched area by focusing specifically on the factors that pre-dict decertification and utilizing quantitative data pertaining to 345 youth initially transferred to adult court in 1996 under Pennsylvania’s law that automatically excludes certain youth from juvenile court jurisdiction. The findings indicated that legal factors are the strongest predictors of decertification. The need for further research and policy implications also are discussed