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Anxiety may alter the role of fronto-striatal circuitry in adolescent risky decision-making
Anxiety disorders often start in adolescence and involve avoidance, which can become a hard-to-break habit. Researchers explored brain activity related to avoidance in adolescents to understand how it contributes to anxiety.
A Second Chance at Success: Using “Second Look” Laws to Modify Sentences of Juvenile Offenders
This article proposes a model "second look" law for juveniles. It suggests applying to those who committed crimes under age 25, serving 10 years, and allowing multiple re-applications with court factors and guaranteed counsel.
A Case for Changing the Age of Majority From 18 to 22 Years of Age in Massachusetts
The criminal justice system lacks consistent age definitions for youth and adults, impacting which legal system processes individuals. This inconsistency affects access to rehabilitation, confidentiality, and future labeling.
Stability and cross-lagged relations among callous-unemotional traits, moral identity, moral emotion attribution and externalizing behavior problems in adolescents
The study found that callous-unemotional traits, moral identity, and moral emotion attributions are linked to externalizing behavior problems in adolescents. These factors influence the occurrence and severity of such behaviors over time.
The neurobiological effects of childhood maltreatment on brain structure, function, and attachment
Childhood maltreatment is a major risk factor for psychiatric disorders and atypical brain development. It affects brain structure and function, with impacts varying by the child's age and proximity to the maltreatment.
Neuroendocrine mechanisms in the links between early life stress, affect, and youth substance use: A conceptual model for the study of sex and gender differences
Early life stress affects adolescent brain development and hormone regulation. This can lead to increased anxiety, depression, and substance use, with differences observed between sexes and genders.
Mapping potential pathways from polygenic liability through brain structure to psychological problems across the transition to adolescence
Genetic risk for externalizing problems in youth is linked to differences in brain structure. These structural differences may predict psychological problems observed one to two years later.
The relationship between cognitive and affective control and adolescent mental health
Adolescence is a vulnerable time for mental health issues, with most disorders emerging before age 25. Research on cognitive control as a target for early intervention has yielded inconsistent results in adolescents.
In the wake of Miller and Montgomery: A national view of people sentenced to juvenile life without parole
Reprieves Return: Minnesota's Decision to Awaken the Reprieve
A sixteen-year-old prosecuted as an adult for murder was isolated in prison due to federal and state laws. This led to an examination of Minnesota's Board of Pardons and the rarely used reprieve as a form of clemency.
Distorted Burden Shifting & Barred Mitigation: Being a Stubborn 234 Years Old Ironically Hasn’t Helped the Supreme Court Mature
This article discusses how capital punishment laws impact individuals aged 18-25, known as "emerging adults.
The effects of a defendant's childhood physical abuse on lay support for sentencing: The moderating role of essentialism
Childhood abuse can increase the likelihood of future criminal behavior, but courts rarely view it as a mitigating factor in sentencing. This study examines how the age of abuse impacts public support for sentencing goals.
Same Crime, Different Time: Sentencing Disparities in the Deep South & A Path Forward Under the Fourteenth Amendment.
States in the Deep South contribute disproportionately to US mass incarceration due to varied sentencing laws and high judicial autonomy. This leads to arbitrary sentences and raises concerns about geographic discrimination.
Justice Is Not a Game: The Devastating Racial Inequity of Washington’s Three Strikes Law
The Persistent Offender Accountability Act (POAA) does not improve public safety and disproportionately impacts people of color. Its architects intended racial harm, and the law reflects this racist ideology.
Ten is Too Young: South Dakota's Need for a Legislative Amendment Raising the Minimum Age of Criminal Responsibility to Fourteen
The article finds that young children often enter the juvenile justice system unnecessarily. It highlights a case where a ten-year-old with mental health issues was arrested and charged, despite not posing an immediate threat.