Paul Thompson in the article “Startling Finds on Teenage Brains” , claims that 14 year old Brazil, charged in last May’s shooting of middle school teacher Gunrow, was found guilty of second degree murder. Paul Thompson supports his by first explaining that Brazil was only 12 when the incident happen. He then says since he was only 12 , his brain was and still is not fully developed. Lastly the author says ,” teenagers are not yet adults , and the legal system shouldn’t treat them as such. Thompson’s purpose is to get the world to know , if children are not yet adults, why are they being treated like one in the legal system in order to stop it.
In “Startling Finds on Teenage Brains,” Paul Thompson--a neuroscientist at UCLA--argues that minors should not be sentenced as adults because their brains are not the same as adults’ brains. Even though Thompson believes that minors should be held accountable for their crimes, he presents evidence from recent studies to explain the differences between the brains of minors and adults. It is not surprising that Thompson uses logical evidence to defend his position, given that he is a scientist. However, Thompson frequently uses emotional persuasion--or pathos--to convince his readers that sentencing minors as adults is both unjust and uninformed. Through his use of structure and emotionally charged language, Thompson attempts to convince readers
Their cognitive part of brain, the frontal lobe, is still developing and from the research Thompson uncovered is that these undeveloped parts inhibit reckless behavior. Thompson says that “teens need all the help they can get to steer their development on to the right path” shows that we need to focus on reforming these children in the juvenile system and we cannot do that if we try them as adults. Who knows the mental damage being sent to maximum security prison can do to their minds? Constantly in fear of rape and being attacked by other inmates leads to psychological distress that makes them adults long before they have matured. For example, Alonza Thomas from Bakersfield was charged as an adult for robbing a gas station and he served 13 years in a maximum security prison with adults.
Thompsons purpose is to point out that teenagers who commit crimes can and will be charged as adults in order for kids to think about what they are doing and not make stupid mistakes.
Paul Thompson in the article "Startling Finds on Teenage Brains" suggest that teenagers have something in their brains. Thompson supports his/her suggestion by first explaining how a 14 year old killed a teacher and outside people are say a “A child is not a man.” He/she then tells how school shootings have gotten more frequent over the years and also how teenagers lose a lot of brain tissue during their teenage years.
According to the eighth amendment it's been band to sentence a juvenile life in prison for commiting murder because it's cruel and unusual punishment. The reason for it is because teens aren't as mature as an adult and should not be treated as one. Teens should be tried as juveniles and have less harsh of a penalty then an adult. The supreme court ruled that juveniles who committed murder could not be sentenced to life in prison for a reason and that reason is teen brains aren't fully developed and mature.
In the article, “Kids are not Adults” by Sarah Alice Brown are exploring the brain development in adolescents when committing a crime. As the article stated, a “teens brain do not fully develop until about the age 25”. When an adolescent is presenting with situations that deal with right and wrong, they would make a rash decision which can have serious consequences. I love that multiple states are working on creating programs that are geared to decreasing the juvenile justice system. Putting in the work to start reshaping our teen’s mindset.
Paul Thompson in the article “Startling Finds on Teenage Brains” explains that any young teen is dar from adulthood. Thompson supports his statement by first giving examples on the different studies being held on the brains of teens. He then gives us some of the own research that his group at University of California, Los Angeles and says that there is a massive loss of brain tissue that occurs in teenage years also that they’re mainly being lost in the areas controlling impulses, risk taking, and self control. Lastly, the author says does “planning” mean the same thing for a thirteen year old as it means for an adult he says this to try and make us wonder does a kid think the same as an adult when it come to certain situation. Thompson’s
At just 14, Young’s brain was certainly not fully developed. Teen brains lack proper decision making skills. The brain is far more irrational, reckless, emotional, and easily influenced than the adult brain. The article “Beautiful Brains”, further expands on this topic, going into depth about what it is exactly that causes juveniles to act this way. The article explains, “The brain undergoes extensive remodeling, resembling a network and a wiring upgrade.”
Thompson, in the article “Startling Finds on Teenage Brains” (2001) claims that teenagers should not be tried as adults after committing a crime because their brains are not fully developed. In this article Thompson supports all of his ethos claims by using logos and real facts that have been cited, this gives him the title to an author who uses the strongest ethos. In Thompson’s article he talks about a child named Nathaniel Brazil, who was only fourteen when he shot his own teacher at a middle-school because the teacher wouldn’t allow him to get out of class early to say goodbye to a girl. Brazil was later tried in court and found guilty of second degree murder. When Thompson writes about Brazil and his charges he claims that, “in recent
The Juveniles are kids not adults and that they don’t have the same brain development as adults do. In the article, “Starting finds on Teenage Brains” by Paul Thompson saying that during this time of period in teenagers be having massive loss of brain tissue. It is believed that the massive brain loss tissue supports all teens thinking and emotions. It also says, “Brain cells and connections are only being lost in areas controlling impulses, risk taking and self control.”
For example, if a twelve-year-old kid is accused as an adult of an executing of another kid, at that point he will be condemned to serve his sentence in an adult jail. Recent research, “Startling Finds on Teenage Brains,” Paul Thompson, argues that a loss of brain tissues occurs during teenage years in which adolescents’ brains aren’t fully developed. The study reinforces the argument confirming that the adolescent brain isn’t fully developed, and the teenage brain is undergoing dramatic changes in ways that affect teen’s ability to weight the consequences for their decisions which would delay long enough to make teens unaware of their actions which would lead to serious consequences (Thompson 45). The following evidence suggests teens don’t see the barriers and limitations the way adults do. Bringing a fresh perspective to old problems and challenging limits is the essence of the teenage mind.
Tommy G Thompson in his article "Law of minors must come to 90," argues; "Children who steal and murder must be punished according to the gravity of their offences, not to the" sensitivity "of his age. Young people running with gangs, terrorizing neighborhoods, are as frightening as adults; more than that, in fact, because are damaged so early ". " He also claims; "Gangs are able to use these young people to commit crimes, knowing that the punishment will not be so serious." According to Thompson, the majority of juvenile offenders are "in charge of" gang members and criminal master mind but instead of punishing these youths with the prosecution of adults and sentencing why not capture the real culprits behind it all and clean our streets of drug dealers and gang
Some people believe that juveniles shouldn’t get sentenced to life in prison because of brain studies, age, and the way of living. Recent brain studies have suggested that teenagers suffer from brain-tissue loss, this might be the reason why they commit idiotic decisions. In Gail Garingers article “Juveniles Don’t Deserve Life Sentences” she states “Young people are biologically different from adults.” Then she talks about the young adolescents being sentenced to die in prison. Also how there is a myth about the superpredator and how children are hopelessly
As adults or as juveniles, according to how serious is the crime they committed. There are many court cases that involve teens that are thirteen and fourteen being charged as adults for heinous crimes they have committed.
