Objective: This article critically examines current methodologies for psychological assessment of juvenile perpetrators of serious crimes within the Romanian legal framework, using the Cenei homicide case as a focal point. It argues for a fundamental paradigm shift from a binary, fact-discovery model to a process-oriented "psychological architecture of evidence" framework that acknowledges the active role of the assessment setting in shaping forensic narratives.

Method: The research employs a multi-method qualitative approach integrating: (a) critical theoretical synthesis across developmental neuroscience, reconstructive memory research, suggestibility studies, and psychodramatic theory; (b) an in-depth instrumental case study of the Cenei homicide analyzing group dynamics and discernment assessment challenges; and (c) normative-procedural design of a structured hybrid assessment protocol with operational tools including the Triage and Sequencing Sheet.

Results: The analysis reveals three fundamental findings. First, the forensic assessment setting functions as an epistemic laboratory that induces a modified state of consciousness characterized by hyper-focused attention and degraded reality monitoring, creating structural conditions for memory contamination independent of examiner intent. Second, the Cenei case demonstrates the categorical inadequacy of binary discernment models, revealing instead that volitional capacity operates as a functional continuum attenuated by synergistic interactions between neurodevelopmental immaturity, coercive group dynamics, and substance-induced disinhibition. Third, the proposed sequential hybrid protocol—separating clinical profiling (Phase A), structured investigative interviewing (Phase B), and integrative forensic analysis (Phase C)—provides a transparent framework for managing architectural risks while preserving the interpretive depth necessary for clinically meaningful assessment.

Conclusions: The Romanian juvenile justice system must institutionalize a self-aware, architectural practice wherein experts function as conscious architects of the assessment process. This requires mandatory adoption of sequential hybrid protocols, implementation of transparency tools such as the Triage and Sequencing Sheet, systematic training in both empirical-forensic and clinical-hermeneutic methods, and development of national guidelines codifying developmentally-sensitive, continuum-based discernment assessment.

Public Significance Statement: This study provides an empirically-grounded framework for transforming juvenile forensic assessment from an unreliable art to a transparent scientific practice. By enhancing the methodological rigor and ethical integrity of evaluations for young offenders, it supports judicial decisions that accurately account for developmental vulnerability, protects minors' rights during the assessment process, and strengthens the probative value of expert testimony in juvenile justice proceedings