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Brief of Center for Law, Brain & Behavior and Neuroscientists as Amici Curiae in Support of Plaintiff-Appellant Jwainus Perry
The brief argues that harmful environments, like solitary confinement, cause physical brain changes. These changes are physical injuries, not merely psychological, and legal policies should reflect current scientific understanding.
Brief of Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights & Urban Affairs, ACLU of Maryland, Public Justice Center, National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys, and MD Criminal Defense Attorneys’ Association as Amici Curiae in Support of Appellant
This brief argues that fear of police, not criminal guilt, often explains why Black men flee from law enforcement. It asks the court to reverse a ruling and clarify that flight alone does not justify a stop and search.
Juvenile Confinement Exacerbates Adversity Burden: A Neurobiological Impetus for Decarceration
Current juvenile justice practices can cause further harm to youth already exposed to hardship. Confinement can negatively impact brain development and quality of life for young people.
PTSD and Trauma as Mitigating Factors in Sentencing in Capital Cases
PTSD can be used in criminal defense as a mitigating factor, especially during sentencing. Courts are often skeptical of PTSD claims, but defense teams should investigate severe trauma in clients facing the death penalty.
Improved Emotion Regulation Following a Trauma-Informed Cbt-Based Intervention Associates With Reduced Risk for Recidivism in Justice-Involved Emerging Adults
Justice-involved male youth experience high rates of trauma and mental illness, which often go untreated. Addressing these underlying mental health issues, particularly emotion regulation, could reduce re-incarceration risks.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Clinical and Translational Neuroscience From Cells to Circuits
PTSD symptoms include re-experiencing trauma, avoidance, negative emotions, and hyperarousal. Risk factors include genetics, prior trauma, and trauma type. Women have a higher prevalence than men.
Emotional Conflict and Trauma: The Recovery of Stolen Memory Using a Mixed-Methods Approach
This study investigates how the community of Portomarín, forcibly relocated in 1963, perceives its local heritage. It analyzes how heritage education can help residents manage their traumatic history and build identity.
Neural Correlates of Emotional Reactivity and Regulation in Traumatized North Korean Refugees
Refugees often experience mental health problems like depression, anxiety, and PTSD due to traumatic events. This study aims to understand how traumatized refugees process and regulate emotions by examining their brain activity.
Associations Between Memory Loss and Trauma in US Asylum Seekers: A Retrospective Review of Medico-Legal Affidavits
Asylum seekers often lack physical evidence for their claims, making credibility assessments based on their testimony crucial. This study explores how trauma affects memory and presentation of accounts among asylum seekers.
Asylum-Seeking Children in Shutdown: Neurobiological Models
Asylum-seeking children in Australian detention facilities have developed a shutdown state from trauma. They exhibit symptoms like refusing to eat, drink, or speak, becoming unresponsive to their families and surroundings.
People v. Bennett
The court vacated a juvenile life sentence, finding the defendant's childhood trauma, brain development, and rehabilitation progress weighed against a finding of permanent incorrigibility.
State v. Elzey
The court ruled that jurors evaluating battered spouse syndrome and PTSD must consider the defendant's complete abuse history. A new trial was ordered due to misleading jury instructions.
Brief of Refugee Advocacy Organizations as Amici Curiae in Support of Respondents
The Ninth Circuit correctly ruled that appeals courts cannot make initial adverse credibility findings in asylum cases if the immigration judge and BIA did not. Courts must accept testimony as credible in such instances.
Brief of the Education Civil Rights Alliance, National Center for Youth Law, Juvenile Law Center, National Disability Rights Network, Education Law Center, et al. as Amici Curiae in Support of Appellants
The brief argues the District Court should have granted compensatory education to Havasupai Tribe members. This remedy would address the Bureau of Indian Education’s failure to provide a quality education, as required by law.
Brief of Advocates for Child Victims of Domestic Violence as Amici Curiae in Support of Petitioner
The brief argues that Texas wrongly reinstated a death sentence by ignoring evidence of a defendant's severe childhood trauma. It claims this evidence could have swayed a juror and aligns with prior Supreme Court rulings.