The Biological Characteristics Of Children

The court decision was influenced by Graham and Roper cases that established for sentencing reasons children are different from adults under the constitution. Children lack maturity and have no developed sense of responsibility. This leads them to be impulsive and reckless. In Roper it was held children are exposed to outside pressure and negative influences from friends. Therefore, they have less control of their environment because the child’s nature is not2 well informed. Graham and Roper emphasized distinguishing traits of children weakening justification for inflicting harsh sentences to juveniles even when they commit outrageous crimes.

At age two, most of the child's brain is not fully developed, it is seventy-five percent of adult weight. At age five the brain is ninety-five percent of adult weight. Based on solid scientific evidence, the brain is not a completed organ at birth. Post mortem studies reveal that myelination - one of the five basic processes that make up brain development begins in the brain stem and cerebellum before birth but is not completed in the frontal cortex of the brain until late adolescence period. Myelination process begins before birth, that is during the prenatal period - it is the first process to occur in brain development. Myelin, a fatty layer accumulates around nerve cells to allow nerve impulses to move more quickly - protecting the neuron and acting like an insulation for the human brain. The cerebral hemispheres are the first myelinated. By the second year, the cerebrum is completed. During the process of brain development, there is an increase in the axonal connection which contributes to the growth of the brain. According to neuroscientists, the brain is divided into two- the right hemisphere and the left hemisphere. The left side of the body is controlled by the right hemisphere, while the left side of the brain which is the dominant part controls the right side of the

Today?s legal system states that children between the ages two to six should not be held liable for criminal actions. There are several developmental characteristics that support this claim. These characteristics come from biological, cognitive, and psychosocial areas. For those who are religious, one can also find spiritual support in Scripture that validates young children cannot reason as older children or adults can. Until a child?s brain matures, it is likely that a child may act impulsively and could commit a crime without reasoning beforehand that he or she

Babies grow and change so much in the first two years of life, and many of those growth are directly related to the brain. Brain grows so rapidly than any other organ and reaches 75% by the age of 2. Communication within the central nervous system and spinal cord begins with neurons. The final part of the brain prefrontal cortex matures.

It is understood that at an early age, it is impossible to some advocates, for children to have the mental ability like that of a normal adult, to plan and execute a crime and moreover to understand the consequences of it. Therefore it is controversial where or not to try them as adults. During the adolescent years, it is asserted that a child becomes mature and begins to understand important concepts like society and expectations they are still trying to deal with society, their own inner battles of peer pressure, lack of direction, impulsiveness and lack of identity, according to the Legal and Justice Center. At

The development of a child’s brain relates to whether kid should be tried as adults. “The adolescent cannot really think things through at the same level as an adult” (Packard 1) says all thought they may not be able to think things through as an would adult; children are still able to determine the basics of what is right and what is wrong. Children are also “impulsive” (Packard 2) if they feel like something is a good decision they will just do it. They should not be tried as an adult because they are not thinking about their actions in the time but they still committed a crime and all of this should be accounted for when trying the child. There is a link “between adolescent emotions and brain development”(Packard 3).

While murder is taken as one of the most offensive crime, children of six years and below are not punishable under the law. The category is believed to be incapable of planning and executing crimes regardless of the magnitude of the crime committed. Between the ages of two to six years, the child is engaged in many trial activities which he does not understand their consequences. Again, the brain of the child is at the stage of developing high memory capacity. Unfortunately, the most permanently stored information is that of activities undertaken and which involved emotional feelings. They are, therefore, likely to remember and act by their feelings and not much about their thinking. At the age of six, the children are eager to understand why the rules exist and how they operate. The brain is at the stage where it does not configure much and can, therefore, fail to control the actions of the body. Also, the age represents the child most unstable emotional stage. When angry, they do not know how to solve it and what lies as alternative problem-solving methods.

In the light of extreme juvenile cases, the juvenile system has conceded age exceptions, by allowing juveniles that commit heinous crimes to be divided into a system where they aren’t tried as an adult based on the fact that they’re only kids. If the belief that they are only kids, shouldn’t they learn that when their kids, the actions they commit have consequences. Although it’s understandable if the juvenile system argues, that for many kids, their parents play a huge part on their developments, but in the case that there is parental neglect, and they don’t know the consequences of their actions, then they shouldn’t be tried as an adult, largely based on the fact that they don’t have parents to teach them values, and the result is that their brains are incapable of knowing the capacities of their actions. If this is the result, then the reasons to not tried them as an adult, is correct, but the reasons to

Children as young as eleven are committing crimes, but they are very young and know nothing about the real world. In "Startling Finds on Teenage Brains", the verdict kon a fourteen year old who shot his middle school teacher was the following: "A child is not a man"(89). Although he was found guilty of second degree murder, they did not sentence him to life in prison. His verdict was right because he is not a man, he is only fourteen years old and has not even gone to high school. This article also talks about how teens act on impulse, especially since in their teen years the

When do children lose their innocence? It’s a question that has been pondered by many throughout the years. Especially, by criminal psychologists when it comes to whether to try a child as an adult or as a minor. Obviously, this is an argument that involves two sides. The two articles presented had very different views as to whether or not children should be tried as adults or not. The article written by J. Steven Smith “Adult prisons: no place for kids” addresses how children should not be tried as adults because of various reasons. Meanwhile, Jessica Reaves “Should the law treat kids and adults differently?” believes in that it should be the crime that matters not the criminals age. The two

In the time of punish an individual, we must take into account the level of culpability or dangerousness of the offenders. According to Eagleman, “the legal system needs an infusion of neuroscience. It needs to turn away from an ancient notion of how people should behave to understand better how they do behave.” Often, neuroscience are use in the criminal defenders in the the justice system. There are different scenarios were people commit different cases of violent crime based on their mental stability. In the case one, the 14 years old juvenile that commit a violent crime should not be punish as an adults if commit a violence crimes. I believe that a 14 years old juvenile should not be punish the same for different reason. First, the brain

In today’s society there has been an increase in the crimes committed by juveniles. Most juveniles have underlining factors that have caused them to choose this type of lifestyle. Many children in the juvenile system have come from impoverish stricken neighborhoods and are festered with gang activity which has made them a product of their environment. The minds of adolescents do not allow them to see how they are affecting their lives. A study was conducted, and according to the article, “Adolescents in Adult Court: Does the Punishment Fit the Criminal?”, when children mature, they will look back at their past and possibly leave their surroundings. Think about two people committing the same crime, both with the same thought process and ability to make decisions, except one is a juvenile and the other is grown. Due to the lack of experience in decision-making or the time to evaluate the situation like the adult, the youth should be viewed as irresponsible. The fact that a child’s mind is still maturing should reassure people that they will not be the same person incarcerated a few years later.

Technological advances in the past decade have allowed scientists to study the brain in ways that have led to new understanding about how young children develop. There is a new understanding of both the capabilities and the vulnerabilities of infants and young children and that understanding is has influenced the work of caregivers and teachers. During pregnancy, the basic architecture of the brain is formed. Although, certain experiences do influence the developing brain during pregnancy, such as maternal health and stress, intake of drugs and/or alcohol, and quality of maternal nutrition.

Emotional development is effected by neglect, separation, lack of love (family) and self harm. Social development is effected by lack of self esteem and secondary socialisation.

A newborns brain growth is rapid and their growth and development reflects their experiences and social relationships (Berger,2014). From two weeks after conception until two weeks after birth the brain grows more rapidly than any other organ in the body (Berger,2014). We will now examine what biologically takes place inside the brain of an infant to better try to understand why development at this stage is so crucial. A newborns brain has billions of neurons, that are located in the portion of the brain called the Cortex, and they regulate and control thought, feeling, and sensation (Berger, 2014). In addition, research has found that children younger than