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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.

Childhood maltreatmentPsychopathologyBrain developmentEarly childhoodAdolescenceNeurobiological effectsSensory systemsPhenotypic alterationsBrain structureEpigenetics

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.

adolescenceadversityHPAHPGmoodsubstance usestresssex differencesgender differencesearly life stress

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.

Polygenic scorebrain structuregeneral factor of psychopathologyexternalizing

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.

adolescenceaffective controlcognitive controldepressionmental health

In the wake of Miller and Montgomery: A national view of people sentenced to juvenile life without parole

Loesby v. Christian

The impact of incarceration on reoffending: A period-to-period analysis of Canadian youth followed into adulthood

The study found that longer incarceration did not reduce future offending in a Canadian sample. It suggests this method could better evaluate criminal justice policies.

First-differencingFixed-effectsIncarcerationReoffendingSpecific deterrence

Stephen C. v. Bureau of Indian Education

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.

ReprievePardonYouthful Offendercommutation

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.

Capital Punishment Adverse Childhood ExperiencesMitigationHealth LawCriminal ProcedureCriminal LawBiopsychosocial DevelopmentUnited States Supreme Court

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.

Childhood abuseSentencingSocial essentialismBiological essentialismRehabilitationRestoration

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.

Mass IncarcerationRacial DiscriminationSentencing DisparitiesState-Level SentencingCarceral State

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.

Three Strikes LawsRacial Disparities in JusticeCriminal Justice ReformPersistent Offender Accountability Act (POAA)Policy AnalysisLife without Parole

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.

Criminal ResponsibilityJuvenile JusticeJuvenile Justice ReformACEsSouth Dakota

A Meaningful Life: The Future of Juvenile Justice in Washington After Anderson

The article discusses a Washington Supreme Court decision upholding a long sentence for a 17-year-old, reversing prior juvenile sentencing trends. It highlights the dissent's focus on racial bias and developmental differences in youth.

juvenile sentencingde facto life sentenceMiller v. AlabamaEighth Amendmentjuvenile brain developmentracial biasWashington Supreme CourtAndersonMiller factorsyouthful offenders