Imagine you are an expert in adolescent development and the news media has called upon you to weigh in on a court case. Here’s a brief synopsis of the court case:
A 15-year-old male was arrested for driving drunk (his blood alcohol content was 3 times over the legal limit). He did not have a driver’s license yet, he stole beer from a convenience store, got drunk with his friends, and then drove home. He was driving at twice the speed limit when he hit and killed a family of four that had stopped to fix a flat tire. He and his friends who were in the car with him were unharmed. He has had a prior history of rule-breaking behavior.
For this assignment, you will use your expertise to debate with another team of “experts” on whether this adolescent should be tried as an adult or as a juvenile.
- Discuss one aspect of adolescent brain development that could be used to support your position (hint: pick one aspect of adolescent brain development that can support the position that they should be treated as an adult).