A teen’s brain does not magically mature into its adult form the night before someone’s 18th birthday. In fact, brain development will continue into a person’s 20s. This neural fine-tuning has serious implications for young people caught in the U.S. justice system, argues neuroscientist B.J. Casey.

The violence, stress and isolation that come from being in prison all have an effect. Other recent stories of immigrant children separated from their families and held in U.S. detention centers have raised similar concerns.

In the United States, an estimated 53,000 people under 18 are in jails, prisons or other types of facilities. Some states have no limit for certain crimes on how young a child may be and still be tried as an adult. That means many youths are judged and punished by laws designed for people who are more mature.

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