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December 6, 2009

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Letter: Teen should be in Juvenile Court

Friday, Jan. 30, 2004 | 9:35 a.m.

I am writing as a parent, concerned citizen and educator. In November, a teenage boy was driving in Henderson when his car crashed, killing three of his friends and seriously injuring himself and another friend. He was first placed on house arrest, then placed in custody. He faces nine felony counts, including involuntary manslaughter, driving under the influence and reckless driving. There will be a hearing next month to determine if he should be tried as an adult.

I am working on a master's degree -- brain research in education. Thanks to modern technology, such as Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, we now can see exactly what happens in the brain as actual thinking is taking place. Remarkable discoveries have been made in the development of the brain. What we know is that the teen brain is not like an adult brain because the frontal lobes of the brain are not fully developed. Because of the undeveloped frontal lobes, teens are not capable of thinking rationally. Those of us who live with or work with teens see evidence of this every day.

My point is this: The teen in this case belongs in the Juvenile Court system, not in the adult system.

DEBRA CURRAS

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