Juvenile Justice and Plea Bargaining

As with adult criminal court cases, almost all juvenile and criminal court cases involving youth are resolved by guilty plea. This chapter reviews the extant research on youth defendants and guilty pleas. The focus is on three areas: (1) the circumstances surrounding guilty plea decisions (e.g., access to attorneys, time to make decisions); (2) youths’ knowledge about guilty plea decisions and whether they are made voluntarily; and (3) the rationales underlying guilty plea decisions. Additionally, across these three areas the chapter addresses plea decision-making by guilty and innocent juvenile defendants, highlighting the similarities and differences. The chapter concludes with a call for future research and implications for juveniles involved in the juvenile or adult criminal justice systems.