Maturation of the Adolescent Brain

Last Updated on September 23rd, 2026 at 04:24 pm
Originally Published on May 11th, 2022 at 08:00 am

Overview

What is the real age of maturity and how could this affect sentencing mitigation?

Summary

In the criminal justice system, a person is deemed an adult at the age of 18. In some jurisdictions, depending on the crime, a legal minor can be tried as an adult before they reach the chronological age of 18. While the legal age of adulthood is fixed, it is in direct contrast with what we know from neuroscience.

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Reference

SOURCE RESEARCH

Maturation of the adolescent brain

Arain, M., Haque, M., Johal, L., Mathur, P., Nel, W., Rais, A., Sandhu, R., & Sharma, S. (2013). Maturation of the adolescent brain. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, 9, 449-461.

Published: 2013
Research type: Literature Review

DOI: 10.2147/NDT.S39776

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