[Assessment of the maturity of juvenile and young adult offenders according to §105 of German juvenile law: a developmental psychology perspective].

[Assessment of the maturity of juvenile and young adult offenders according to §105 of German juvenile law: a developmental psychology perspective]. Z Kinder Jugendpsychiatr Psychother. 2020 Feb 25;:1-10 Authors: Röpcke B, Barth N, Hebebrand J Abstract Assessment of the maturity of juvenile and young adult offenders according to §105 of German juvenile law: a developmental psychology perspective. Abstract. Since 1953, according to § 105 of the German JGG (Jugendgerichtsgesetz/Juvenile Court Act), it has been possible to convict offenders aged 18.0 y-20y 11 mo either as juveniles or as adults, depending on their developmental status. Yet unambiguous criteria defining the individual stages of development are available neither to judges nor to experts. Thus, for this age group this may lead judges to make arbitrary decisions impairing the right of equal treatment before the law in Germany. In the absence of clear criteria for assessing maturity, experts nearly always recommend judging such offenders as juveniles. Recent findings from the neurosciences and developmental psychology show that not only juveniles but adolescents and young adults up to the age of 25y usually have significant potential for development. After an overview of the legal practices pertaining to juveniles in Germany and throughout Europe, we propose alternatives for the individual assessment of maturity. PMID: 32096700 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Zeitschrift fur Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie und Psychotherapie - Category: Child Development Tags: Z Kinder Jugendpsychiatr Psychother Source Type: research