Similarly, going along with the prior rebuttal of the importance of differentiating juvenile’s characteristics and actions of that of an adult, science is compiling more evidence of its vitality. Many adults can look back and reminisce about an action he or she did when younger and say, “Wow I cannot believe I did that.” Science has proven the reason behind that is because an adolescent’s brain has not yet fully matured. Tsui states “Studies conclusively established that the brain of an adolescent is not fully developed, particularly in the area of the prefrontal cortex, which is critical to higher order cognitive functioning and impulse control” (645). The facts of scientific research need to be taken into consideration when distinguishing …show more content…
Handling a young fragile mind can be difficult; but studies have shown therapeutic rehabilitation is key in not causing unrepairable damage. The majority of youth offenders has been exposed to harsh environments and rough upbringings. Years of exposure to violence and neglect can create a sort of brain-washing. It is imperative to focus on important aspects of life in order to transform the mind of the juveniles. An efficient method that involves keeping the juvenile in the community is referred to as multisystemic therapy. “Multisystemic therapy is an intensive therapy program which focuses on numerous aspects the delinquent’s life: family, school, social and other unique factors which may relate to the behavior” (May, Osmond, and Billick 298). When using the multisystemic approach juveniles decrease association with other delinquents, juvenile and adult. The therapeutic method gives an individual approach on focusing deeper on the root issues and helps the juvenile renew their minds and thought process. In the end, adopting multisystemic therapy decreases the likelihood of the youth continuing in a criminal
Paul Thompson in the article “Startling Finds on Teenage Brains” claims that a teenager is not an adult and should not be treated as one. Thompson supports his claim by first explaining about the research his group has done. He then describes the results of the research by stating, “But what really caught our eye was a massive loss of brain tissue that occurs in the teenage years… are only being lost in the areas controlling impulses, risk-taking and self-control”(Paragraph 7). This means that during the teenage years, those part of the brain are vastly immature. Lastly, the author explains that during this reshaping of the brain, it does not remove their accountability. He also states, “While research on brain-tissue loss can help understand
I have witnessed in my time as a law enforcement professional juvenile treatment programs help some of our troubled youth. However, the treatment program the juvenile offender is attending, must offer something to the juvenile offender in the means of rehabilitation and teaching life lessons. For instance, a ropes course is a program we have used here in Muskogee with our youth. The ropes course is designed to take someone out of their own personal comfort zone and to begin to build trust between the police and the offender. This program has benefited a portion of our youth who were willing to cooperate and take the program serious. There is another portion of the youth who
For example Paul Thompson an assistant professor of neurology who wrote “Startling finds on teenage brains” says that most teens are experiencing a wildfire of tissue loss in their brains, although it cannot be used to excuse their violent or homicidal behavior it can be used as evidence that teenagers are not yet adults so the legal system shouldn’t treat them as such”. Other people also believe it is wrong to convict a juvenile as an adult just because he/she made one “stupid mistake” for example in startling finds in the teenage brain, Brazill 14 years at the time took a gun to school and shot up the middle school teacher but they say Brazill made one “stupid mistake” and that him and many other teens are far from adulthood and that their minds set are not the same as an
Adolescent criminal acts, which include but are not limited to murder, rape, armed robbery, violent assault, mugging, arson, vandalism and robbery are a large portion of the crimes represented in the media. Alternative options to throwing these kids in juvenile detention centers is a rehabilitative boot camp where they have no control over even their own bodies or programs similar to scared straight where they see possible consequences to their actions. The importance of the success or failure of these programs is important because right now it is the popular solution. If these programs are going nowhere, time should be invested in creating new ideas and methods to treat these children before they become adults in the prison system.
McMahon’s “Inside Your Teenager’s Scary Brain” discusses how adolescent’s brains are delicate and can easily affect their development in a good or bad way, depending on the individual’s experiences. According to Jensen, a Harvard neuroscientist and senior neurologist at two Boston hospitals, “teenage years comprise one of the brain’s most critical periods of development”. She parallels her experiences with her own children with observations of teens in general. With new research continuing to surface, studies illustrate how susceptible juvenile’s brain are and how this could generate different techniques on how society, parents, and teachers handle them.
Beautiful Brains by David Dobbs is an article about why teenagers usually take more risks than adults. In the article Dobbs begins by discussing how his son once got in trouble for speeding down a highway just because he was curious to know what it felt like. He then goes into asking why teenagers often do "stupid" things and then explains that teens have always done that throughout time. He provides scientific evidence that the brain changes between the ages of 12 to 25 affecting our decision making. One way that a reader could interpret this data is that teenagers have a hard time using new parts of their brain and seem to be in a state of retardation. Dobb also describes the reckless acts of teenagers in order for them to adapt to any situation.
In the nonfiction article “The Teen Brain: Still under construction” by NIMH, the author believes the teen brain is still developing emotionally, intellectually, and hormonally.
In many cases, the culprit has been in and out of rehabilitation centers and or jail. These facilities have a common goal. Which is to correct those whom are
Wormith, J. S., Althouse, R., Simpson, M., Reitzel, L. R., Fagan, T. J., & Morgan, R. D. (2007). The rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders: The current landscape and some future directions for correctional psychology. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 34(7), 879-892.
Many Juveniles have been deprived of their proper treatment due to society’s lack of understanding and compassion, yet research clearly shows that mental health treatment not only keeps them at bay from repeating their crimes, but also helps them live a more positive lifestyle in society. In times we blame the juvenile for their mistakes, however instead of pointing fingers at them, we can come together as community to help them overcome their “inner demons”. After all, it is not the children committing the crimes, but their mental disorder that is hindering them from living a normal lifestyle.
Juveniles are not mature enough or developed psychologically, and, therefore, do not consider the consequences of their actions. In the article, “Startling Finds on Teenage Brains” by Thompson,
However, the human brain fully matures around the mid-20s and early 30s. With the brain developing at a later age, many people have difficulty with impulsive behavior and are more prone to peer pressure. Laurence Steinberg stated that “Adult punishment is partial for a child that lacks comprehension of their acts”. He suggested a separation of the age group of under 12 and ages 12 to 16. In spite of the offense, children under 12 ought to be tried as minors. “Children between the ages of 12 and 16 should be viewed on a case by case basis depending on the competence of the
Facts will show that the United States Supreme Court was correct in their decision to ban the death penalty for all those under the age of eighteen. Recent brain imaging scans have shown that an adolescent’s brain is not fully developed until late in adolescence causing them to be immature, have diminished decision making capacity and underdeveloped reasoning and thinking skills (Aronson, 2007); qualities which ...
Ideally, everyone is safe from harm because people care for one another with compassion. However, most only care for themselves, and worse, some individuals actually jeopardize and disrupt the well-being of the public. It is easy to label them all as immoral, but circumstances differ when they are young offenders. While it cannot keep everyone on track, the multistep juvenile justice system determines adolescent offenders’ consequences to provide them a chance for change and rehabilitation, making it overall effective and fair to juveniles and the community.
Juveniles mental issues and brain behavior is the full picture of their everyday lifestyles. In “Juveniles don’t