This study identified the legal and extralegal factors that play a significant role in the decision to transfer a serious juvenile offender to criminal court jurisdiction in Virginia. A sample of 364 juveniles adjudicated delinquent for felony-level crimes and transferred to criminal court was compared with a sample of 363 juveniles adjudicated for similar crimes who were incarcerated in juvenile learning centers, the most restrictive juvenile correctional option in Virginia. Thirteen variables were significant predictors of the transfer decision, the most important ones being age, current offense, and prior delinquency record.
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