Media type: E-Article Title: Pre‐adjudicative and adjudicative competence in juveniles and young adults Contributor: Redlich, Allison D.; Silverman, Melissa; Steiner, Hans Published: Wiley, 2003 Published in: Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 21 (2003) 3, Seite 393-410 Language: English DOI: 10.1002/bsl.543 ISSN: 0735-3936; 1099-0798 Keywords: Law ; Psychiatry and Mental health ; Clinical Psychology Origination: Footnote: Description: <jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>There are several different types of legal competence, such as competence to waive <jats:italic>Miranda</jats:italic> rights, competence to confess, and competence to stand trial. Although it can be surmised that many of the underlying factors that influence the different legal competencies are similar, little research has been conducted to empirically test this hypothesis. In the present study, juveniles' and young adults' understanding and appreciation of their <jats:italic>Miranda</jats:italic> rights and their ability to stand trial were measured. Age, suggestibility, average grades in school, and frequency of previous police involvement were also examined as possible factors that influence both types of legal knowledge. Results indicated that <jats:italic>Miranda</jats:italic> competence and adjudicative competence are indeed strongly related, especially for juveniles. Also, age and suggestibility were found to predict <jats:italic>Miranda</jats:italic> competence, whereas suggestibility and average school grades predicted competence to stand trial. Patterns of findings often diverged for juveniles and young adults. Implications for legal policy are discussed. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.</jats:p>