Kent v. United States

In Kent v. United States (1966), 383 U.S. 541, 561, 86 S. Ct. 1045, 16 L. Ed. 2d 84, the United States Supreme Court held, among other things, that written reasons were required when a juvenile court waived jurisdiction, thus subjecting a juvenile defendant to trial as an adult. Id. The Kent Court, however, limited the responsibilities of the trial court: "We do not read the statute as requiring that this statement must be formal or that it should necessarily include conventional findings of fact. But the statement should be sufficient to demonstrate that the statutory requirement of 'full investigation' has been met; and that the question has received the careful consideration of the Juvenile Court; and it must set forth the basis for the order with sufficient specificity to permit meaningful review." Id. at 561.