Letters: May 31, 2004

As your report "What Makes Teens Tick" aptly illustrated [May 10], science is catching up to what parents and teachers already know: teenagers' brains are different from adults'. The ability to make adult judgments comes later, as different parts of the brain develop. That is why our legal system does not allow people under 18 to vote, serve on juries or enjoy many of the other privileges and responsibilities of adults. It is also why juries are more and more unwilling to impose death sentences on juvenile offenders and why 31 states prohibit the practice. As we learn more from science...

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