in_the_media
Young killers serving life might get second chance
Posted Feb 25, 2012
Media Outlet:
Los Angeles Times
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in two cases involving 14-year-olds, on whether it is unconstitutional to put juvenile murderers in prison without hope of release. The attorneys for the 14-year-olds point to evidence that a teenager's brain is not fully developed. The research comes from Laurence Steinberg, a psychology professor at Temple. "Adolescents, because of their immaturity, should not be deemed as culpable as adults,” he said. "But they also are not innocent children whose crimes should be excused."