Of the many recent changes in juvenile justice, none are more prominent than waiver
laws designed to more easily transfer young offenders to adult courts. These laws create
more options to punish youth as if they were adults, leading some to question the need
for a separate juvenile justice system. As yet, however, we have little systematic
empirical basis for assessing the effectiveness of these laws. To help develop the
foundation for such an assessment, this article examines the leading intended and
unintended impacts identified by researchers. It then discusses critical research gaps
that must be addressed if we are to develop a balanced and empirically informed
assessment of the effectiveness of waiver. |