So I agree it shouldn’t be used as an excuse, but in a perfect world it would definitely be grounds for diminished responsibility. If your brain hasn’t fully developed its decision making centre then you aren’t on a level playing field with those whose have. And it’s a fact that full development of the prefontal cortex doesn’t occur until mid to late twenties.
They’re just not at the you-ought-to-know-better endgame, neurologically.
Although neurons of the PFC are generated before birth, the differentiation of its neurons and development of synaptic connections in humans extend to the 3rd decade of life.
So I agree it shouldn’t be used as an excuse, but in a perfect world it would definitely be grounds for diminished responsibility. If your brain hasn’t fully developed its decision making centre then you aren’t on a level playing field with those whose have. And it’s a fact that full development of the prefontal cortex doesn’t occur until mid to late twenties. They’re just not at the you-ought-to-know-better endgame, neurologically.
No, it’s not a fact. That’s the whole point.
So what kind of source would you accept?
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41386-021-01137-9
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3621648/#%3A~%3Atext=The+development+and+maturation+of+the+prefrontal+cortex+occurs+primarily%2Cthe+age+of+25+years.
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/the-teen-brain-7-things-to-know
It seems to me that there is a scientific consensus on the subject.
Maybe read the link I posted? All the research on “25 years” stems from that being the cutoff year. The same developments continue throughout life.