Maroney. I took the information provided from the chapter and personally interpreted it in relation to the psychological concept of nature vs. nurture.
My personal beliefs regarding the overall criminal justice system and the reason behind why people commit crimes can also be compared to the argument of nature vs. nurture. As stated before, I believe the nurture aspect, how one was raised, has a stronger influence on criminal behavior than their brain development, or lack thereof.
While reading through the chapter, “The Once and Future Juvenile Brain,” for the first time, it was difficult to identify Maroney’s personal viewpoint since he offered arguments both for and against brain research as well as incorporating that one’s environment also has an impact on criminal …show more content…
With that in mind, how can we properly define a juvenile when states have conflicting ages in which they define adults and brain scans can’t show one’s maturity? Though I fully agree with the concept of a juvenile justice system, there is and always will be exceptions. The most prominent exceptions, in my opinion, are in regards to the seriousness of the crime committed as well as the overall mental state of the juvenile.
Using an extreme as an example, I feel as though there is a significant difference in a juvenile who commits premeditated murder and doesn’t show remorse in comparison to a juvenile who was peer pressured by his classmates to rob a store and regrets going through with it. Relating back to the idea of change, there is an obvious distinction between the two juveniles in the example. Though both acts are considered crimes, the juvenile that feels genuine remorse for his actions will hopefully be given the opportunity to change and better himself so he can have a