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The current study sought to examine the under-researched area of juvenile decertification and assess the overall effectiveness of Pennsylvania’s Act 33 legislative waiver statute. The study focused specifically on factors that predict decertification and provided a comparative analysis of decertified and non-decertified offenders in terms of case outcomes and recidivism, along with a general consideration of whether the statute achieves the goals of increased offender accountability and public safety. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed. Quantitative data were utilized pertaining to 423 youth initially transferred to adult court under Act 33 in three Pennsylvania Counties during 1996. Qualitative interviews were conducted with criminal justice professionals from each of the same three counties, all of whom were involved directly in the legislative waiver and decertification processes