Making the Sentencing Case: Psychological and Neuroscientific Evidence for Expanding the Age of Youthful Offenders

Youthful offenders convicted of serious crimes continue to be sentenced to death and life without parole in the United States based on legal arguments that cast them as incorrigible and permanent dangers to society. Yet psychological and neuroscientific evidence contradicts these arguments and unequivocally demonstrates significant changes in brain, behavior, and personality throughout the life course, especially during adolescence as it extends into the early twenties. This article ( a) clarifies the current state of the science on typical behavioral and brain development showing robust changes into the twenties; ( b) demonstrates that behavior, personality, and psychopathic traits are dynamic and change over time; and ( c) underscores that reliance on prior criminal behavior only to predict later recidivism is tenuous at best. Together, these scientific insights make a case for extending juvenile protections to youthful offenders sentenced for crimes committed in their teens and early twenties. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Criminology, Volume 5 is January 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

PARENTING STYLES INFLUENCE ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF YOUTH IN BORSTAL INSTITUTION IN KENYA

Parenting styles can influence youthful offenders on academic achievement, behaviours and truancy. The studys objectives were to identify parenting styles used by guardians on youthful offenders in borstal institutions in Kenya, to establish behavioral problems exhibited in students due to parenting styles in borstal institutions in Kenya and to analyze academic achievement of youthful offenders in borstal institutions in Kenya. Respondents to the research were selected using the simple random technique through the Krejcie and Morgan formular table. Since the purpose of the study was to identify parenting styles used by guardians on youthful offenders in borstal institutions in Kenya, stakeholders including students, parents, prison warders, counsellors, social workers and administrators constituted the sample population. Data was collected using questionnaires, interview schedules and focus group discussions before being presented in tables. The data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Statisticsversion 20. Primary and secondary sources were also used in the study. Findings indicated that more pupil responses showed that behaviours adopted by youthful offenders were a result of parenting styles. Neglectful parenting resulted in increase of bad behavior. Absentee parenting was the leading cause of poor academic achievement. Recommendations of this study include review of policy of the Education Act toaddress academic achievement problems in borstal institutions. Parenting styles should be discussed and taught in both primary and secondary school.Future research should focus on parents cultural beliefs and practice influence on youthful offenders academic achievement.

THE COMMUNITY SERVICE ORDER IN WELFARE COMMUNITY DISTRICT OFFICE: AN EXPLORATION OF AN EXPERIENCES AND IMPLICATIONS OF THE YOUTHFUL OFFENDERS

This research is about the Community Service Order in Welfare Community District Office: An exploration of the experiences and implications of youthful offenders. The aims of this study are to explore the issues of an experiences and youth offenders' caught process till locked-up by the policemen and implication of the youth offenders locked-up by the policemen. The study was conducted as a case study approached by using instrument document analysis. The findings showed that youth offenders experience and caught the process by the policemen are the issues of expression of intention to beat cousin, riding a motorcycle without licenses, overspeeding riding motorcycle, own used motorcycle but incorrect plate numbers and stealing and selling stolen motorcycle. Whilst, the implication of youth offenders is being caught by the policemen issues are; charged guilty in crimes till Community Service Order Centenced. Comprehensive research is necessary to be implemented in Perak State to explore the function of Community Service Order towards youth offenders in their first involvement in the crime.