Juvenile Law Commons^™

Annual Survey Of Virginia Law: Legal Issues Involving Children, Robert E. Shepherd Jr.

University of Richmond Law Review

The Virginia General Assembly once again acted in a very restrained fashion in addressing juvenile justice issues in the lengthening wake after the extensive statutory changes in 1994 and 1996. The newly enacted juvenile competency statute is an important innovation contained in the new article 18 oftitle 16.1 of the Virginia Code, and a study by the Virginia Bar Association on the applicability of the insanity defense in juvenile delinquency proceedings will further address the implications of mental health problems for children in trouble. One major issue in the delinquency area that arose during the past year involved the necessity …