Less Capable Brain, Less Culpable Teen?
Publication year:
2010
| Cataloged on:
Jun. 13, 2012
ANNOTATION: This report should be required reading for anyone working with juvenile or young adult offenders. It describes adolescent brain development and why juveniles and teenagers participate in reckless and antisocial behavior. “The brain regions and systems that play a large role in regulating emotion and behavior, as well as those that are involved in evaluating risks and rewards, are the ones most impacted during adolescence” (p. 1). This fact leads to questions regarding the motivation behind the criminal activity of an adolescent. Sections of this publication cover: adolescent brain development; adolescent brain development and the criminal justice system; culpability; competence; amenability; key points; and conclusion. Adolescents’ brains do not work the same way as those of adults. Their immature cognitive-control can lead them to impulsive and risk-taking actions that have little basis in long-term consequences. Unfortunately, these actions may therefore involve them in the criminal justice system.
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