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Changes in the brain during adolescent years
Brain development in adolescence
Brain development in adolescence
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This source shows that the brain does not fully develop until the mid twenties, causing irrational decisions. It also shows how peer pressure plays a big part in teenagers decisions. It also states that teens tend to commit crimes in groups. It also states that if someone can’t make rational decisions, they should not be held to the law as a regular
Director of Justice Reform and the MacArthur Foundation, as well as Christopher Simmons advocate Laurie Garduque reminiscences on the disregard for criminal juveniles during that time: “As concern about increasing juvenile crime peaked, we were alarmed at the wave of harsh juvenile justice reform sweeping the country that blurred lines between adults and juveniles… Existing research did not address the legal implications of adolescent developmental immaturity with respect to competency, culpability, and capacity for change” (“Roper v. Simmons Ten Years Later”). A similar sentiment was shared with Columbia Law School professor Elizabeth Scott, who recalled the conditions for criminal youth in the early 1990’s, asserting that “...attitudes about juvenile crime became more punitive, and it was clear that lawmakers weren’t focusing on developmental differences between teens and adults or how immaturity might contribute to juvenile offending” (“Roper v. Simmons Ten Years Later”). There are a myriad of scary commonalities between these anecdotes, such as the legal disregard for youths despite their underdeveloped brains. There are many factors that make adolescent minds susceptible to committing crimes.
Many people complain about how juveniles lack brain development and this should be an excuse. It makes others uncertain about trying them as adults since they lack decision-making and impulse control. Despite the lack of development, it’s ideal to recognize that for certain violent crimes, “there have to be consequences to actions” (Ford). Allowing juveniles to simply avoid adult punishment doesn’t help to promote public safety or give adolescents the responsibility they need in the future. But most people believe that juveniles still have room for rehabilitation and change.
Juveniles are aware of their actions, unless they have a psychological disorder even if that includes life in prison without parole, or if the juvenile has a brutal childhood. The general argument made by Paul Thompson in his work, Startling Finds on Teenage Brains, is that as teens grow, they are developing mentally as well. More specifically, Thompson argues that teens act a certain way because of changes in their brain. He claims, “With repeated brain scans of kids from three to twenty, we pieced together “movies” showing how brains grow and change”(Thompson). Thompson states that studies have shown that the brain has changes when being three to twenty years of age.
After reading the article and the assigned reading, I think that brain development should be put in consideration when assessing juveniles that have broken the law. Since the brain is not fully developed
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.”
They are unable to deal with urges to engage in risky behavior due to the hormonal surges of puberty. Due to their inexperience and mistrust in adults they are at a disadvantage in the criminal justice system. Just as U.S. Supreme Court in Miller v. Alabama stated that a child’s brain is not fully developed and they don’t have the capability to consider the penalties of their decisions. In class we discussed the six primary theories: retribution, deterrence, incapacitation, restorative justice, rehabilitation, and early intervention.
I think this is why so many juveniles do the crime because there are going through the loss of their tissue. In the article by Paul Thompson called “ starting finds on teenage brains” says in quote that they have done test on many different teens and the results are so shocking that in the area that controls the impulses are very risk taking and self control. And the frontal lobes of the brain that also inhibit the violent passions that put the plug on why these juveniles do the crime. The result to this is that they are founded a different way to reshape the brain during the lost of brain tissue so that they can be normal like if they had never lost any
An adolescent is not allowed to drink, smoke, get married, or sign legal contracts because they aren’t capable of making mature decisions. In many poor communities, the only things adolescents see are crimes. Teenagers are like a sponge they absorb everything they see. Throughout many years, kids have committed crimes that have gotten them unreasonable sentences. From looking at many sources I found that teenagers don’t think of the consequences their actions might have on them.
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.”
When teen felons choose to act without thinking, they are putting other people’s lives at risk. They need to be charged as adults because the victims of the crimes will not be given the justice they deserve when they have to worry about that criminal harming them again. Although some people think that sending a juvenile through adult court gives them no hope, they should have given this a little thought before committing the crime. Teens need to think about the consequences and how their actions affect others before they act. When choosing between putting a violent adolescent in prison and taking the chance of letting them commit that crime again, it is most suitable to let the teen be tried as an adult and to place them in prison.
If an “undeveloped brain” was the case then teens would kill at roughly the same rates all over the world, which is not. Some of these teens think they can get away with some of these crimes which leads to commit more. In Jennifer's article she explains one of her case with a serial killer. His parents will fix everything whenever he got in trouble. After series of other
It is debated that juveniles are committing more serious and violent crimes because the youth think they can get off easy and take advantage of the system put in place. Those in favor of youth offenders being tried as adults believe that as juveniles are punished to the full extent of the law, future youth offender will think twice before committing a criminal act. In support of this, seventy-five percent of the transferred juveniles interviewed by Redding and Fuller (2004) felt that their experiences in the adult criminal justice system had taught them the serious consequences of committing crimes. As one juvenile explained, “[Being tried as an adult] showed me it’s not a game anymore. Before, I thought that since I’m a juvenile I could do just about anything and just get 6 months if I got
But this actually disproves juvenile advocates reliance on the “underdeveloped brain” argument. If brain development were the reason, then teens would kill at roughly the same rates all over the world(Jenkins 91). This is something that doesn’t happens, you won’t be seeing teens around the world murdering people. Brain development is just something people don’t understand how it really works and use this argument to try to lower criminals culpability.
Teenagers are not perfect, and their irrational behavior can lead to poor decisions that could potentially be dangerous and unlawful. A debate has now occurred for many years that deals with the issue of sentencing teens that have committed serious crimes such as murder and robbery. Many people argue that if juveniles commit these crimes that their punishment should be equal to an adults punishment for serious crimes, but juveniles shouldn’t have to worry about their lives getting ruined. Most juveniles and teenagers do not have enough maturity to survive in the adult prison system, and recent brain development research shows us that teenagers brains are not even close to being finished developing. Therefore, teenagers and youth under the age of eighteen should
