Guilty Pleas of Youths and Adults: Differences in Legal Knowledge and Decision Making

Juvenile defendants’ rights are at an increased risk of violation throughout the plea process due to their diminished understanding of the legal process, their psychological immaturity, and their tendency to focus on short-term, postive, and social consequences. This self-report study analyzes the differences between adults and youths throughout the plea process, focusing on three main concepts: legal understanding of the plea process, factors influencing plea decision-making, and false guilty pleas. The results generally align with pre-existing research on the legal capacity of youths, which indicates that adolescents have a poorer legal understanding and decision-making competency than adults. Moreover, the results indicated a higher rate of self-reported innocence among youth defendants that pled guilty than among adult defendants. As a result, the study concludes that procedural and constitutional safeguards may be necessary to protect the rights of youths throughout the plea process (e.g., assumption of innocence for youth; asking juveniles to fully explain legal concepts before assenting to them).

“It seems clear at this point that youth are at increased risk to enter into plea deals with insufficient legal understanding or compromised decision making, and that many youths who factually understand the legal process may not fully appreciate the implications of outcomes for their own lives.” p. 177