][ Streng thening our communit y through education and awareness ][
Report from the Mercyhurst College Civic Institute
Inside the Report
Adolescent Brain Development
Adolescent Brain Development
and the Criminal Justice System
• Culpability
• Competence
• Amenability
Upcoming Events
Mercyhurst College Criminal
Justice Conference and James V.
Kinnane Awards Luncheon
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Speaker: Laurence Steinberg, Ph.D.
See insert for additional information
The purpose of the
Mercyhurst Civic Institute
• Enhance and facilitate citizen
participation in decision-making.
• Provide high-quality, objective information to
assist local decision-making.
• Convene community forums that encourage
reasoned reflection and free
and open discussion of regional issues.
• Educate the Erie community and
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania about
various issues through Institute reports and
publications.
• Foster human networks that enhance
communication, link resources,
strengthen community participation
and build social capital.
• Promote research, learning, teaching
and service opportunities for the Mercyhurst
community.
Vol.2, Issue 2
September 2010
Less Capable Brain, Less Culpable Teen?
By: Kristen Burillo
There may be perfectly good, scientific, research-based,
The research on adolescent brain development has
biological, developmental explanations for why
been utilized to inform decisions within the criminal
those teenagers you know are impulsive, emotional,
justice system. Adolescents’ developing cognitive
giving into peer pressure, not thinking about the
abilities have raised questions about their culpability,
future, unconcerned with consequences, and taking
competence, and amenability. Key court decisions
a lot of risks 1. Blame it on their brains. Research
have been informed from the research in this area. For
is increasingly showing that adolescent behaviors...