![]() ![]() In this case, a 14-year-old boy was convicted of murder after he and another boy robbed and beat a neighbor before setting his trailer on fire. Alabama in 2012, the court ruled that states could not automatically sentence juveniles to life without parole, even in cases of homicide. The justices wrote that "the part of the brain involved in behavior control continues to mature late into adolescence" and ruled that life without parole was unconstitutional for individuals under age 18 who were convicted of crimes other than homicide. He had been on probation after serving one year in jail for armed robbery and committed another robbery while on probation. Florida, in which Terrence Graham, age 17, was sentenced to life in prison by a Florida judge for violating his probation. The Supreme Court referenced this research again in another landmark case in 2010, Graham v. Since then, capital punishment has been deemed unconstitutional for individuals under age 18. Citing APA's amicus brief, the court ruled that Simmons could not receive the death penalty. Steinberg worked with APA on an amicus curiae brief for the case that referenced numerous studies showing that adolescents often lack the ability to make mature judgments, control their impulses and consider the consequences of their actions. Simmons, a case in which Christopher Simmons was accused of committing first-degree murder at age 17. Supreme Court started to take notice of such psychological research in 2005, when attorneys referenced behavioral science in oral arguments in Roper v. ![]() So far, hundreds of individuals have been resentenced, primarily those who have already served decades in prison, says Renwick. "The change has been incredibly important because it's giving hope to people who would have died in prison, and it's established a new standard going forward." "We would not have seen this move toward more appropriate sentences for juveniles without the underlying neuroscience research that helped the court understand why youth behave the way they do," says Heather Renwick, JD, legal director for the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth in Washington, D.C. The research by psychologists and others has dramatically changed the way courts see juveniles. Although the vast majority of teens do not commit serious crimes, the combination of brain development and the context in which someone lives can influence the level of risk, says Temple University psychologist Laurence Steinberg, PhD, who has conducted extensive research in the area. She is one of more than 2,000 people in the United States who are eligible for resentencing because they are serving sentences of life without parole for crimes they committed as minors. Thanks to that research, Owens was resentenced to 40 years in prison and will be eligible for parole in early 2018. "If an opportunity seems like it will be emotionally arousing, brain systems are primed to take action, rather than think about the longer-term consequences," explains Jason Chein, PhD, an associate professor of psychology at Temple University who has studied adolescent brain development. Pointing to research by several psychologists, Kavanaugh showed the judge that adolescence is a time when the brain has increased sensitivity to rewards and that with more time for development, adolescent brains are better able to consider the long-term implications of bad decisions. Kavanaugh also reported that at the time of her original sentencing, Owens had not grasped how her crime had affected the family and community. Alabama that found mandatory life-without-parole sentences for juvenile homicide offenders violated the Constitution's ban on cruel and unusual punishment.ĭuring a resentencing hearing before a judge, Kavanaugh noted that Owens had been abused and neglected as a child and used drugs and alcohol as a teen, but that while she was incarcerated, she earned a GED and worked diligently in multiple jobs, even offering to take care of a dying inmate. But in 2014, a lawyer for Owens hired forensic psychologist Antoinette Kavanaugh, PhD, to evaluate her case in light of a U.S. ![]() Owens beat him to death with a hammer, and was sentenced to life in prison. She and an older female friend had broken into a home to steal money when the owner unexpectedly walked in during the robbery. Jessi Owens of Watertown, South Dakota, was 17 when she was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 1998. ![]()
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