Yale Professor: Late Twenties Key for Juvenile Sentencing Reform
A Yale University professor, Arielle Baskin-Sommers, has emphasized that crucial aspects of decision-making, emotional regulation, and reward sensitivity are not fully developed until the late twenties. Meanwhile, State Rep. Kadeem Roberts has sponsored a bill restricting handcuff use on minors under 14, signed into law on July 8. A recent event at Yale University discussed juvenile sentencing reform, with panelists criticizing a 2023 Connecticut law that limits early parole eligibility.
Around 100 people gathered at Yale University's Afro-American Cultural Center to discuss raising the age limit for juvenile sentencing. The event was attended by around 10 formerly incarcerated individuals and family members of currently incarcerated people. Panelists shared personal experiences and condemned the 2023 law that restricts early parole eligibility for those sentenced after Oct. 1, 2005.
Kathryn Thomas, a lawyer and clinical psychologist, cited constitutional issues with the current law. She suggested raising the age limit based on neurological development research, which shows that key aspects of decision-making, emotional regulation, and reward sensitivity are not fully developed until the late twenties. Professor Elizabeth Hinton from Yale Law School criticized the law as 'crazy, misguided, and arbitrary'.
State Rep. Kadeem Roberts is sponsoring the Act to Require Fair Juvenile Sentencing, aiming to eliminate the Oct. 1, 2005, sentencing cutoff and raise the eligible age to under 26. However, there is no information yet on who will present the bill in the next Connecticut legislative session.
The event at Yale University highlighted the need for juvenile sentencing reform, with panelists condemning the 2023 Connecticut law that limits early parole eligibility. State Rep. Kadeem Roberts is pushing for fairer sentencing with his proposed act, aligning with neuroscience research that shows late twenties as the age when key decision-making aspects fully develop. The next steps in this legislative process remain to be seen.
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