Factors considered by Ohio juvenile court judges in judicial bypass judgments: A policy-capturing approach

Judicial bypass is a procedure by which a minor can bypass notification of her parents to obtain an abortion if a judge finds her to be sufficiently mature. We examined the factors used by juvenile court judges in judicial bypass. Nine Ohio juvenile court judges indicated the likelihood of granting judicial bypass for 48 fictitious adolescents based on six factors relevant to each minor's maturity. Individual policies were calculated according to how each factor was weighed. The policies indicated that age, coercion of the minor's decision, and assessment of risk were more heavily weighed than were grade point average, extracurricular activities, and past work experience. Although the judges used the same factors, there were large differences in holy those facto rs were used and in the total cases judged mature. The results indicated that the judges had little insight into their own judgment policies.