• Every state has some form of transfer statute. The Supreme Court has held that a juvenile cannot be transferred to criminal court under a discretionary statute “without ceremony — without hearing, without effective assistance of counsel, without a statement of reasons.” Kent v. United States, 383 U.S. 541, 554, 86 S.Ct. 1045, 1053–54 (1966).
transfer statute
A provision that allows or mandates the trial of a juvenile as an adult in a criminal court for a criminal act.