Adolescent Brain Development and Crime: Why New York State Should Increase the Age of Criminal Culpability to Twenty-One Years Old

Authors

Julia Patz, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law

Abstract

The note argues that New York State should increase the age of criminal culpability from eighteen to twenty-one years old, aligning with scientific evidence on adolescent brain development. It contends that the current age threshold is arbitrary and unsupported by research, which shows that brain development, particularly in areas responsible for decision-making and impulse control, continues well into the mid-twenties. The note advocates for this policy change to improve outcomes for young offenders and reduce the harms caused by adult incarceration.

Disciplines

Constitutional Law | Criminal Law | Criminal Procedure | Law

Recommended Citation

Julia Patz, Adolescent Brain Development and Crime: Why New York State Should Increase the Age of Criminal Culpability to Twenty-One Years Old, 29 Cardozo J. Equal Rts. & Soc. Just. 795 (2023).
Available at: https://larc.cardozo.yu.edu/cardozoersj/vol29/iss3/7