The ACLU of Michigan, et al., Amicus People v. Taylor

Categories: ,

ACLU of Michigan et al., Amicus, People v. Poole

Categories: ,

Center Us: Native Youth Survey Report

Categories: , ,

The Center for Native American Youth (CNAY) at the Aspen Institute released a report detailing survey results of nearly one thousand Native youth on their needs and priorities across issues that matter most to them. This survey was built and disseminated by Native youth leaders who worked in partnership with CNAY staff to practice and…

Juvenile Law Center et al., Amicus Brief, People v. Czarnecki

Categories: , ,

How the Adolescent Brain Shapes Behavior 

Categories: ,

Shaping Tomorrow: The Next 50 Years of JJDPA

Categories: ,

Still Cruel and Unusual: Extreme Sentences for Youth and Emerging Adults

Categories: ,

The evidence provided in this brief supports bold reforms for youth and emerging adults sentenced to extreme punishments.

American Academy of Pediatric Neuropsychology, the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, the Gault Center et al. Amicus Brief, State v. Jones et al. 

Categories: , ,

This amicus brief from American Academy of Pediatric Neuropsychology, the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, the Gault Center, and others argues there is no reasonable, scientific basis for drawing the line for adolescence at age 18, and therefore protections from Comer (including reconsideration of lengthy sentences for homicide offenses committed by individuals under 18) should extend to young people who were 18 to 20 years old.  Additionally, the brief…

YEAH Philly Violent Crime Initiative Year One Process Evaluation

Categories:

From the executive summary: “YEAH (Youth Empowerment for Advancement Hangout) is a community-based organization working to empower, advocate for, and meet the needs of young people ages 15 to 24 based in West and Southwest Philadelphia. Kendra Van de Water and James Aye co-founded YEAH in 2018 to address the stark lack of safe, culturally…

Center for Law, Brain, and Behavior Amicus Brief, Arizona v. Jerald

Categories: , ,

This amicus brief from the Center for Law, Brain, and Behavior highlights the adolescent capacity for significant growth and social maturation as well as criminological evidence on the unlikelihood of reoffending and responsiveness to evidence-based treatment among youth accused of sex offenses. The brief ultimately calls for the court to find that a de facto life without parole sentence is grossly disproportionate based on developmental science and research.   From the Summary of Argument:  “Evan McCarrick Jerald is…

State of Washington v. Kimonti D. Carter and Shawn Dee Reite

Categories: ,

Building A Brighter Future: A Plan to Invest in DC’s Emerging Adults

Categories: , ,

The Second Look Movement: A Review of the Nation’s Sentence Review Laws

Categories: , ,

This report presents the evolution of the second look movement, which started with ensuring compliance with the U.S. Supreme Court’s decisions in Graham v. Florida (2010) and Miller v. Alabama (2012) on the constitutionality of juvenile life without parole (“JLWOP”) sentences.12 This reform has more recently expanded to other types of sentences and populations, such…

Criteria and Procedures for Meaningful Parole Review for People Sentenced as Youth

Categories: ,

This paper is part of the Series on Learning from Civil Rights Lawsuits from the Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse and focuses on parole review procedures for individuals serving long sentences for crimes committed under age 18, discusses constitutional dimensions of parole review for this group, and proposes model policies supporting a meaningful opportunities for release.   From the Executive Summary:  “In recent years, people serving…

A Brief Timeline of States Banning Juvenile Life Without Parole

Categories: , ,

A brief timeline of states banning juvenile life without parole.

Racial Differences in Legal Socialization Models Across Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood

Categories: ,

Written Testimony of BJ Casey and Leah Somerville to the US Sentencing Commission

Categories:

Written testimony by BJ Casey, Ph.D. and Leah H. Somerville, PhD submitted to the US Sentencing Commission. The testimony argues that brain and behavioral development continues well into a person’s twenties.

Written Testimony of Elizabeth Cauffman, Ph.D. and Arielle Baskin-Sommers, Ph.D. on Neurobiological Development in Teenagers and Emerging Adults

Categories: ,

This written testimony from Elizabeth Cauffman, Ph.D. and Arielle Baskin-Sommers, Ph.D. discusses what developmental science says about the impact of brain development on adolescent risk taking, decision making, and susceptibility to social and peer influence as it relates to a young person’s culpability. The testimony also provides information on diversion and its impact on lower recidivism and improved public safety.   Below is an excerpt from…

Toward Mercy: Excessive Sentencing and the Untapped Power of North Carolina’s Constitution

Categories: ,

Commonwealth v. Sheldon Mattis

Categories: , ,

People v. Parks Opinion

Categories: , ,

In the Matter of Monschke Opinion

Categories: , ,

The Lasting Effects of Incarcerating Juveniles in Adult Facilities: Examining the Impact on Employment and Income from Age 18-37

Categories: ,

From the abstract: “Contemporary scholarship has demonstrated the negative effects of incarcerating juveniles in adult facilities, coinciding with a growing concern about the long-lasting effects of this practice in the United States. The current study served to expand this literature by examining the effects of being incarcerated in an adult facility as a juvenile on…

Washington State Court Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) Classification Bench Book and Resource Guide

Categories: , ,

Guilt By Association: How Police Databases Punish Black and Latinx Youth

Categories: ,

From the executive summary: “• Police increasingly replace stop-and-frisk practices with databases that crudely profile Black and Latinx youth based on their neighborhoods, peer groups, and clothing. • These databases ruin lives: police typecast minority youths as gang members without evidence, putting them at risk of false arrest and wrongful deportation. • Many police departments…