Researching Adolescents' Judgment and Culpability (From Youth on Trial: A Developmental Perspective on Juvenile Justice, P 325-343, 2000, Thomas Grisso and Robert G. Schwartz, eds. -- See NCJ-184852)

• NCJ Number: 184865
• Author(s): Elizabeth Cauffman; Laurence Steinberg
• Date Published: 2000
• Length: 19 pages
• Sale Source: University of Chicago Press
• Publication Format: Book (Hardbound)
• Publication Type: Literature Review
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This chapter reviews the literature on the psychological changes in adolescence that are most likely to be relevant to issues of culpability in adolescent law-breaking.

Abstract

Although culpability is a construct that has psychological underpinnings, the term rarely appears within the scientific literature on psychological development during adolescence. A number of related constructs have been studied by developmental psychologists, however, and research on these aspects of development, such as responsibility or maturity, is relevant to this literature review. In addition to identifying the legal implications of such research, this chapter also discusses research areas that warrant additional attention, as well as a number of methodological issues associated with ensuring that future research is applicable to the shaping of juvenile justice policy. The authors conclude that there is a growing body of evidence that maturity improves gradually and at different rates for different people. Also, there is no clear dividing line between mature and immature behavior. This varying and complex passage from immaturity to maturity among individuals underscores the wisdom of the juvenile justice system's long-standing emphasis on individually tailored dispositions. Further study of the factors that influence the development of mature judgment will allow issues of adolescent culpability to be resolved more equitably and consistently. 33 references