Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Waiver to Adult Court

This study sought to examine the decision-making process by which juvenile courts determine whether to certify juveniles to adult criminal court or retain them in juvenile court. Specifically, the study sought to determine whether race, ethnicity, and gender influenced decision making when legally relevant case attributes were controlled. Data came from the largest urban jurisdiction in Texas. The results indicated that minority youth and males were more likely to be transferred to adult criminal court than White juveniles and females. A Black or Hispanic youth was approximately 3 times as likely as a White youth to receive a transfer to adult court, net of legally relevant case criteria. Males were nearly 7 times as likely as females to be transferred.