Killing Rekindles Debate on Young Offenders
February 25, 2020
Three young teenagers are set to be tried as adults for the killing of a college student in New York City in late 2019, but the New York Times editorial board cites problems with trying children as adults, including evidence that adolescent brains differ from adult brains. In Issues, a pioneer in studying brain development laid out the evidence, noting that adolescents’ immature brain anatomy makes them inherently less able to control impulses, assess risk, or consider long-term consequences, and thus makes them deserving of different, less severe treatment by the legal system.