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1 Can. J. Fam. L. 329 (1978)
Children in the Courts: A Selected Empirical Review

handle is hein.journals/cajfl1 and id is 337 raw text is: CHILDREN IN THE COURTS: A SELECTED EMPIRICAL REVIEW Katherine Catton' This article reviews the small body of empirical research relevant to five central issues concerning children in the court system. These consist of discretion in the court system, the child as participant in the hearing, legal representation, the use of expert social evaluation reports and alternative forms of processing. The author concludes that there is a visible need for and yet a regrettable lack of empirical data on the effects and effectiveness of processing children through the court. t 1: INTRODUCTION One central focus of both law and social science is human behaviour. Implicit predictions about how a given legal policy or reform will alter human behaviour usually underlie any decision for change. Yet such decisions are usually made without adequate knowledge about the effects of present policy and legislation or the probable consequences of adopting a different approach. Much jurisprudence is amenable to scientific analysis. However, little relevant empirical research has been conducted and therefore little relevant data exist to enlighten the choices made. The body of this paper examines several issues Katherine Catton, M.A., LL.B., of the Ontario Bar, is Legal Research Coordinator at the Child in the City Programme, University of Toronto. This interdisciplinary research project, sponsored by the Hospital for Sick Children Foundation, is studying the prob- lems of urban children. t Dans cet article, l'auteur passe en revue les rares 6tudes empiriques relatives a cinq probl6mes fondamentaux touchant a l'enfance et aux tribunaux. Ces problames sont: le pouvoir discr~tionnaire des tribunaux, l'enfant en tant que participant 5 1audience, la repr6sentation 1lgale, rutilisation des rapports d'expertise sociale et finalement, les diffrents proc~d~s d'administration de la justice chez les jeunes. En conclusion, Pauteur ddplore l'absence de donnes empiriques sur le sujet, de mime qu'elle constate le besoin de recherche sur les effets et l'efficacit6 du syst~me par lequel on dispense la justice aux enfants.