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Brief of Juvenile Law Center in support of Omar Khadr
Amici argue military commissions cannot prosecute minors due to absent jurisdiction rules and lack of distinct processes for youth. Federal law and science show adolescents differ from adults, making them less culpable.
Brief of Juvenile Law Center and National Juvenile Defender Center as Amici Curiae in Support of the Defendant-Appellant
The brief argues that a jury should consider a defendant's young age when evaluating a duress defense. Current law and developmental research support that age is a categorical factor, not just relative to coercers.
Sociometric Status and Social Drinking: Observations of Modelling and Persuasion in Young Adult Peer Groups
This study explores how a person's social standing within a peer group affects their drinking habits. It suggests that popular or dominant group members may have a stronger influence on others' alcohol consumption.
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Comorbidity in Detained Youth
Many youths in detention have psychiatric disorders, with PTSD affecting at least one in ten. This study found nearly all detained youth with PTSD also had other psychiatric disorders, which negatively impacts their prognosis and treatment.
Rational Choice and Developmental Influences on Recidivism Among Adolescent Felony Offenders
Adolescence is a time of increased risk for crime and antisocial behaviors. Research on legal socialization and deterrence reveals how developmental factors influence these behaviors.
In re C.S.
The Ohio Supreme Court held that juveniles can only waive their right to a lawyer if a parent or guardian advises them and they fully understand the consequences. This ruling emphasizes fairness and due process for minors.
Brief of Juvenile Law Center, et al in support Plaintiffs/Appellee's Petition for Rehearing En Banc
This brief argues that strip-searching juveniles for minor violations is unconstitutional. It claims the current policy misuses child-protective principles to justify traumatic searches that adults would not face.
Brief of Amici Curiae Juvenile Law Center, et al. in Support of Appellant Corey Spears
Waiver of legal counsel in delinquency cases jeopardizes a youth's fundamental rights and creates serious lifelong consequences. Parents cannot serve as effective legal counsel due to potential conflicts of interest.
Development of the Adolescent Brain: Implications for Executive Function and Social Cognition
Research indicates that the adolescent brain undergoes significant development. The prefrontal cortex shows increased myelination, enhancing neural transmission speed, and changes in synaptic density through proliferation and pruning.
Earlier Development of the Accumbens Relative to Orbitofrontal Cortex Might Underlie Risk-Taking Behavior in Adolescents
Adolescents show increased brain activity in reward-related regions and less mature activity in impulse control regions compared to children and adults. This may explain their heightened risk-taking behaviors.
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.
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.
Brief of Juvenile Law Center; The Center on Children and Families; The Central Juvenile Defender Center; The ChildLaw Center et al., as Amici Curiae in Support of the Respondent-Appellee
The EJJ provision is void for vagueness because it fails to adequately define prohibited conduct, harming youth and hindering effective rehabilitation. Separate hearings for EJJ and transfer motions also undermine juvenile court goals.
Brief of Juvenile Law Center as Amicus Curiae in Support of Petitioner-Appellant
The petitioner argues ineffective counsel failed to suppress her confession. Counsel conceded voluntariness, despite police not advising the then 14-year-old she would be prosecuted as an adult.
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.