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What if some of the justice system's most common assumptions about behavior, memory, addiction, and decision-making are wrong?

In collaboration with the Center for Law, Brain and Behavior, this four-part webinar series hosted by NLADA explores the growing body of neuroscience and behavioral science research that is reshaping our understanding of human behavior and its implications for legal advocacy, client-centered practice, and justice system responses. From adolescent brain development and substance use disorders to trauma, memory, aging, and cognitive decline, each session examines how scientific advances challenge conventional thinking and offer new approaches to understanding the people we serve.

Whether advocating for a client, developing mitigation evidence, evaluating service needs, or shaping policy, attendees will leave better equipped to apply current scientific knowledge in ways that strengthen representation, improve outcomes, and promote a more fair, effective, and humane justice system.

Neuroscience has transformed what we know about behavior in youth. Research shows that the brain regions responsible for impulse control, judgment, and foresight continue developing into the mid-twenties. This session aims to support legal-decision makers in aligning legal practice with current research about brain development and capacity for change. The speaker will discuss the implications of this research on topics such as mitigation, sentencing, and plea bargaining. In addition to distilling the current state of research, this session will discuss relevant key case law in the areas of juvenile and young adult sentencing.

Instructor: Robert Kinscherff, PhD, JD - Executive Director, MGH Center for Law, Brain & Behavior and Professor, William James College