Next study: "the sun is too hot to walk on"

From the AP:

Study: Immaturity May Spark Teen Crime

The teenage brain, Laurence Steinberg says, is like a car with a good accelerator but a weak brake. With powerful impulses under poor control, the likely result is a crash. And, perhaps, a crime. Steinberg, a Temple University psychology professor, helped draft an American Psychological Association brief for a 2005 case in which the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed the death penalty for crimes committed before age 18.

That ruling relies on the most recent research on the adolescent brain, which indicates the juvenile brain is still maturing in the teen years and reasoning and judgment are developing well into the early to mid 20s. It is often cited as state lawmakers consider scaling back punitive juvenile justice laws passed during the 1990s...

Because sometimes judges and lawmakers have to have things spelled out for them.

The Idaho Statesman article adds a little local content:

Prosecuting kids as adults gets another look - Drop in juvenile crime, brain research and studies of ill effects of prison on teens spark reforms in many states

In the Treasure Valley this week, the case against a 13-year-old Nampa boy was transferred to adult court, where he will face charges in an alleged sexual assault on a 5-year-old girl earlier this year. The boy's lawyer is now fighting to get the case moved back to juvenile court. Under Idaho law, any juvenile 14 or older who is charged with a violent felony such as murder, attempted murder, rape or robbery is charged as an adult. If a suspect is younger than 14, a juvenile court judge must decide whether the suspect should be charged as an adult...

Fourteen. Meanwhile in the Cowboy State:

Minor offenses routinely land Wyoming youths in adult jail

Wyoming is big on tough love. Hundreds of Wyoming juveniles each year are locked up for minor crimes like shoplifting, drinking and even running away. The main reason is that many of these youngsters are tried in adult rather than in juvenile courts...

The Campaign for Youth Justice has something to say about locking up youth in adult jails.

(homage to Bliss for the headline)

WY: "I was extremely lucky enough to just call him 'Dad'"

From the Wyoming State Bar:

Ken Koski: a Man of Adventure - a Man of Integrity (1950 - 2006)

Dad was the epitome of a public defender. He was a juvenile specialist and enjoyed being able to help juveniles succeed. He believed strongly that there was no such thing as bad people, only good people who made poor choices. He got so much joy when he heard back from former clients who had turned their lives around. A few years ago he took me to dinner and he talked about applying for a judgeship. While most my attention was focused on the Rockies game, I indiscriminately said, “Why would you want to stop being a Public Defender? What you do is so noble.” At the time I thought nothing of it. Recently, my aunt told me how they had talked the next day and how he was so giddy and happy that I was proud of him and respected what he did...

(link via Kris Koski)

WY: Teton drug court

From the Jackson Hole News & Guide:

Drug court gives people a second chance at life

Will Wise shook hands with a newcomer to the drug court program Monday afternoon and told him not to give up. Wise, 40, speaks from experience... (O)n Monday, after 14 months in the program, Wise was one of three Teton County DUI Drug Court graduates honored at a ceremony...

“Even though it was not easy, I have a life that’s a lot more enjoyable than the one I used to have,” Wise said... "It’s nice to see success," said Greg Blenkinsop, Teton County public defender. "Before, all I saw was failure. I didn’t see people coming back buying houses. It was all negative."

MT & WY: methamphetamine blues

From New West Network, Meth's Grip on the Rural West:

The effects of Wyoming's meth problem (and the state is not the only one in the West fighting a similar battle) is trickling down into social services, prompting agencies to ask the state for a little back up. The increase in children placed in foster care and treatment programs has the Department of Family Services projecting a $6.5 million budget shortfall for this budget period. Meanwhile, in Montana, rural leaders are trying to figure out how to deal with the surge of meth labs in the Big Sky State's most remote areas.

Bonus links go to Mark Lanegan and "Methamphetamine Blues"