arged with offenses and that the consequences can be serious. Also, it is around this age when youths think of a right as “belonging” to them, and that they can waive it or use it. The big question is their ability to deal with “abstract” legal concepts that are grasped by most adults. Even at ages 14 to 16, only of youths described a right as an entitlement. For example, when a police officer says to an arrested juvenile, “you have the right to remain silent,” groups of youths described it as, “you can be silent unless you are told to talk,” or “you have to be quiet unless you are spoken to.”Age by itself is a bad indicator of whether youths have reached an adult level of knowledge of the legal process. Juveniles have various types of thinking and emotional disabilities; thus, it takes them longer to reach their adult-like potential. Also, many courts and many people believe that youths that have been repeatedly arrested and exposed to court trials have a better understanding of legal matters. Current research does not support this. Some juveniles will definitely learn from these experiences and may even become advanced in the understanding of the trial process; others will learn nothing at all. Therefore, just because a youthful offender is a repeated one, it does not mean that he/she will understand the trial process and his or her rights. Developmental psychologists have concluded that youths with attention deficit disorder (ADD) / hyperactivity disorder are very vulnerable to distractions and the significance of trial may escape them. In many cases involving a youth whose mental retardation seriously impaired his ability to communicate “a meaningful, and chronological account of events,” competency should definitely be questioned, and the case should be dismissed.In addition to mental retardation, communication problems can occur from developmental ...
