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Padilla v. Kentucky
The Supreme Court ruled defense attorneys must inform non-citizen clients about deportation risks during plea negotiations. This was the first time the Court found a lawyer violated effective assistance standards during plea bargaining.
Neurobiology of the Adolescent Brain and Behavior: Implications for Substance Use Disorders
Adolescence is a time of increased risky behavior due to an imbalance in brain development, where reward-seeking areas mature faster than self-control regions. This can heighten vulnerability to substance abuse.
Resisting Emotional Interference: Brain Regions Facilitating Working Memory Performance During Negative Distraction
Emotional processing helps the brain quickly assess situations for survival. While emotions can disrupt cognitive goals, the brain can also maintain focus, a function relying on "top-down" control.
Structural and Functional Changes in the Prefrontal Lobes of the Adolescent Brain: Implications for Executive Function
Brain imaging reveals that key areas of the adolescent brain, involved in decision-making and planning, continue to develop into young adulthood. This ongoing development suggests adolescents may face challenges with complex decisions.
The Role of Puberty in the Developing Adolescent Brain
Adolescence involves physical, cognitive, and social maturation. Puberty, marked by hormonal shifts, triggers changes in the body and brain. Animal studies show these hormones impact brain development and behavior.
Commonwealth v. Shanley
The court ruled expert testimony on recovered memories and dissociative amnesia is reliable enough for juries to consider delayed recollections of childhood sexual abuse.
Substance Use, Childhood Traumatic Experience, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in an Urban Civilian Population
Childhood trauma significantly raises the risk of adult psychiatric disorders and substance abuse. Studies show a strong link between early trauma, PTSD, and substance use, with timing and type of trauma influencing outcomes.
Brief of Amicus Curiae the Innocence Project
The brief argues that courts should update their approach to eyewitness evidence. It asserts the current framework is outdated and proposes incorporating modern scientific understanding of memory.
Brief of Amicus Curiae the American Psychological Association in Support of Petitioner John Floyd
This brief argues that even "voluntary" confessions do not always prove guilt. It highlights scientific evidence showing false confessions can occur due to interrogation methods or a defendant's psychological traits.
Jenkins v. Com.
A new trial was ordered because expert testimony about how suggestive child interviews can distort memory was wrongly excluded. This testimony was crucial to evaluating the reliability of the child's allegations.
Understanding and Treating Unwanted Trauma Memories in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
People with PTSD often reexperience brief, vivid sensory impressions of a traumatic event. These intrusive memories feel like they are happening in the present, lack context, are easily triggered, and cause significant distress.
Adolescent Engagement in Dangerous Behaviors Is Associated with Increased White Matter Maturity of Frontal Cortex
Adolescents' risky behavior, a leading cause of death, is linked to brain development. A study found that engaging in dangerous activities is associated with greater, not less, frontal white matter maturity.
Age Differences in Future Orientation and Delay Discounting
Adolescents' ability to consider future consequences and plan ahead generally increases with age. However, studies do not consistently show age differences in how far into the future adolescents can imagine their lives.
Merit Brief of Amici Curiae American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio Foundation, Inc., Juvenile Law Center, Montgomery County Public Defender, and Children's Law Center, Inc. et al. in Support of Appellant
Ohio's Adam Walsh Act gives juvenile courts discretion to classify juvenile sex offenders. Only a juvenile court can reclassify an offender after a hearing, allowing the court to prioritize rehabilitation.
Brief of Juvenile Law Center; The Loyola Civitas ChildLaw Center; The Children and Family Justice Center; The Youth Law Center; and The National Juvenile Defender Center as Amici Curiae in Support of the Respondent-Appellant
The brief argues that youth in delinquency cases have a constitutional right to a zealous defense lawyer, not a guardian representing their best interests.