Sunday, December 23, 2007
Kids know right from wrong even if they don't think
From the RoundTable blog
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John Sappington
Sappington, who lives in Rockbridge County, is a retired clinical psychologist and an author of scientific literature.
Using evidence from electronic imaging, some scientists conclude that impulse inhibiting parts of human brains don't mature until age 25. Behavioral anecdotes illustrate the point. Drivers ages 16 to 25 are most likely to damage cars and therefore pay the highest insurance premiums.
Scientists are good at science but not necessarily good at dictating public policy. The American Psychological Association submitted a brief to the U.S. Supreme Court based on brain/behavior research, leading to banishment of capital punishment for anyone who committed a crime while under 18.
One beneficiary may be the alleged slayer of the Redskins' Sean Taylor. The 17-year-old is believed to have fired at Taylor's groin and stood by with three older peers as the victim's life bled away. No matter what juveniles do to deserve arrest, the court concludes they aren't totally accountable because their brains aren't mature. Merciful maybe, but APA's triumph is just a foot in the door of permissiveness.
Predictably the court's ruling and brain research are now being used by some legislators to reduce punitive juvenile justice laws. Heaven forbid that lawbreakers should endure punishment. Laurence Steinberg, Temple University psychologist, states that brain research "gives credence to the idea that [failing to control impulse] isn't a choice that kids are making to give in to their friends, that biologically, they're more vulnerable to that [sic]."
Read it again. Now we can't hold young offenders responsible for their actions because they're influenced by peers. Furthermore, antisocial behavior isn't consciously chosen, in this view. The perpetrator's brain is hijacked by friends. The devil made him do it. How long before a twenty-something pleads "not guilty by reason of youth" and leaves court untouched?
What then should society do with kids who commit to a lifestyle of theft, deceit, violence and dangerous drugs? Remember, the new biological justification extends the definition of "kid" to 25. We could proclaim felons another category of victims or rationalize that lawbreaking is a legitimate protest against an oppressive police state. Offenders could then be given apologies or public service awards when penalties are no longer acceptable.
The contention that brains aren't mature until 25 is a deceptive misuse of medical imaging and a waste of electricity. Maturation of the frontal lobes is a cumulative process well under way by kindergarten.
Impulse control isn't simply about brain cells ripening like apples on a tree. It is very much about the effect of environmental experience on cortical circuitry. Young people test limits and discover where the borders of civilized behavior lie. Learning the boundary comes from realizing the result of behaviors they have chosen. In that way, society shapes the eventual citizen who might otherwise be a self-indulgent savage for a lifetime.
Proponents of the immature brain theory highlight the seductive weight of peer pressure but dismiss the opposing influence of lawful culture. Proponents reject the idea that young people decide their acts, insisting instead that they are compelled by circumstance, like so many knees tapped with reflex hammers.
In fact, young brains learn quickly what they cannot do when the outcomes are swift and consistent. Bullies learn to think twice about whom they confront and how often. It's a rare tough guy who continually challenges bigger tough guys given the consequences. The selective nature of choosing victims suggests that thugs ponder what they do before acting.
Consistency is a virtue. If it's not appropriate to punish "kids" for anti-social behavior, then other societal sanctions need to change as well. Discriminatory insurance premiums for teen drivers should be struck down, by the courts. After all it's not the fault of young people that they speed and disregard other people's safety while driving. Blame immature frontal lobes instead. And what about adults whose brains are short-circuited by alcohol, stress or insomnia? Surely we must not hold them accountable either.
Or we could prevent young people from driving or voting until age 26. For that matter, can we reasonably allow anyone into the military or police work at 18? The age of consent, buying liquor and marriage will also need to rise. Hunting with weapons? No way. Election to public office? Unthinkable. Sorry, but the immature brain crowd can't have it both ways.
Society can do without sanctimonious advice from researchers and organizations with covert political agendas. Brain research is crucial, but the arm-twisting of legislators and judges can stop any time. We don't need science and courts reinforcing the message that "kids" aren't accountable for their own behavior.
