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Commonwealth v. May
The court ruled it was an error to exclude evidence of the defendant's abusive childhood during sentencing. This evidence could have influenced the death penalty decision.
Developmental trajectories of legal socialization among serious adolescent offenders
This study explores how adolescents develop beliefs about law and legal authorities. It examines legal socialization over time in young offenders to understand how these attitudes change from late adolescence to early adulthood.
Greeno v. Daley
The court found that failing to treat an inmate's worsening ulcer and denying proper diet or specialist care could demonstrate deliberate indifference to serious medical needs.
The Enduring Effects of Abuse and Related Adverse Experiences in Childhood: a Convergence of Evidence from Neurobiology and Epidemiology
Early life stress, such as abuse, can cause lasting changes in brain function and structure. These changes impact health and quality of life throughout a person's life.
Addiction Specialists, Inc. v. Township of Hampton
The Third Circuit ruled Hampton's zoning illegally excluded a methadone clinic, violating the ADA. The case was sent back for action to allow the clinic.
Cognitive and Affective Development in Adolescence
Adolescence is a vulnerable period due to differing maturation rates of brain systems controlling emotion, behavior, and cognition. This creates risks and opportunities for reorganization of regulatory systems.
Planting misinformation in the human mind: A 30-year investigation of the malleability of memory
Research shows that misleading information can alter memories, a phenomenon called the "misinformation effect." This effect is more likely when time has passed, weakening the original memory.
Debunking Myths About Trauma and Memory
Experts find traumatic events are remembered clearly, contrary to theories of traumatic amnesia. Evidence does not support claims that dissociation or repression cause significant memory loss for trauma.
Foelker v. Outagamie County
The court reinstated a lawsuit over a jail's forced methadone withdrawal. Evidence of severe withdrawal and neglect could show deliberate indifference to serious medical needs.
Seeing Black: Race, Crime, and Visual Processing
The stereotype of Black Americans as violent and criminal is strong and automatic. Research shows that just as the presence of Black individuals can trigger thoughts of crime, the concept of crime can also trigger thoughts of Black people.
Competence, Culpability, and Punishment: Implications of Atkins for Executing and Sentencing Adolescents
The article argues that the Supreme Court's reasoning for prohibiting the execution of people with mental retardation should also apply to adolescents.
Tsombanidis v. West Haven Fire Dept.
The court found West Haven did not discriminate under the FHA or ADA. This was because plaintiffs failed to show intentional bias or disparate impact from applying fire codes to a sober living home.
Wiggins v. Smith
The Supreme Court ruled that a lawyer's failure to investigate a client's severe childhood abuse constituted ineffective assistance, making a life sentence probable.
State v. Standard
The court upheld a teenager's murder conviction, finding his confession was voluntary. Separate sentences for murder and firearm possession were also deemed constitutional.
Gonzalez v. Cecil County, Maryland
The court allowed a widow's lawsuit against Cecil County and jail staff to proceed. She claimed they were deliberately indifferent to her husband's fatal heroin withdrawal.