Year
How to use the database
HANDS OFF CAIN’S 2015 REPORT
The worldwide situation (as of 30 June 2016)
EXECUTIONS IN 2014
EXECUTIONS IN 2015 (as of 30 June)
The most important facts of 2015 (and the first six months of 2016)
ADDRESS of Pope Francis
THE SMILING FACE OF THE MULLAHS
Reportage by Sergio D'Elia
ANALYSIS OF THE 2015 REPORT DATA AND OBJECTIVES OF HANDS OFF CAIN
Reportage by Marco Perduca
"THE ABOLITIONIST OF THE YEAR 2015” AWARD
Protocol of understanding between NTC and CNF
Dossier on death penalty and homosexuality
Final declaration of the Cairo workshop
Goals
Achievements
GENERAL MOTION OF THE FIFTH CONGRESS OF HOC
RESOLUTION OF THE KIGALI CONFERENCE
U.N. RESOLUTION 2014

U.N. RESOLUTION 2012
U.N. RESOLUTION 2010

REPORT ON THE 2ND ANNUAL EU FORUM ON THE DEATH PENALTY IN ZAMBIA

Videos

DECLARATION OF LIBREVILLE

Publications
Hands Off Cain Headquarters
U.N. RESOLUTION 2008

U.N. RESOLUTION 2007

Appeal To The United Nations
Board of Directors

LETHAL TRADE DOSSIER
2014 FREETOWN CONFERENCE Final Declaration
THE COTONOU DECLARATION 2014
DOSSIER IRAQ 2003

DOSSIER ON MORATORIUM
DOSSIER IRAQ 2012

DOSSIER USA 2011

NOBEL LAUREATES APPEAL
Bulletin Board
Sign up
Join appeal
Newsletter
Our Publications

USA - Brain
USA - Brain
USA - Does the “minor age” really end at 18?

March 13, 2025:

March 13, 2025 - USA. Does the “minor age” really end at 18?

What Experts are Saying About Emerging Adult Behavioral Development Since Roper v. Simmons

Thirty years ago this month, the Supreme Court in its landmark decision Roper v. Simmons found capital punishment for individuals under 18 years of age unconstitutional under the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments. In explaining their decision, the Court drew in part on “scientific and sociological” studies showing that a lack of maturity in youth can lead to “impetuous and ill-considered actions and decisions,” which supported the idea that this cohort were less culpable and therefore should not be subject to the death penalty.

The Court in Roper confined its ruling to 16- and 17-years (it had previously found that youth under the age of 16 were not death eligible), but extensive research now suggests that there is little difference between the developmental challenges that face adolescents (those under the age of 18) and those facing emerging adults (defined here as 18‑, 19- and 20-year olds) when it comes to impulse control, risk-taking, and the tendency to bend to peer pressure. Here, we share a taste of the research on emerging adult development, which presents a question similar to that addressed by the Supreme Court in Roper, that is, if the emerging adult cohort of 18‑, 19‑, and 20-year olds, whose actions are often both “impetuous” and “ill-considered” are actually mature enough to be considered culpable to the degree that would justify their exposure to capital punishment?

Changes in impulsivity and sensation-seeking are present through emerging adulthood, which could explain differences in risk-taking behaviors between this age group and adults. A 2011 study by Dr. Paige Harden & Elliot Tucker-Drob examined levels of impulsivity and sensation-seeking from the beginning of adolescence through emerging adulthood. The study involved a large sample of 7,640 individuals, between the ages of 12 and 24, who self-reported on survey measures of impulsivity and sensation-seeking, both traits influencing risk-taking behaviors. Regarding impulsivity, the study found that it declined with age until leveling off in the mid-20s, which could be explained by neuroscience research that has shown the gradual maturation of impulse control areas (i.e. the cognitive-control system) through emerging adulthood into an individual’s mid-20s. Regarding sensation-seeking, the study found it to increase, until peaking around age 16, thereafter very slowly declining through emerging adulthood and beyond to the mid-20s. The trend in sensation-seeking could be explained by neuroscience research that has shown brain regions responsible for emotions, novelty, and reward (i.e. the socioemotional system) are more susceptible during adolescence and emerging adulthood when compared to both children and adults. According to the authors, this is the first longitudinal survey data study to support neuroscience findings of a dual-system model of adolescent development comprised of the sensitive socioemotional system and the still-maturing cognitive-control system.

In emotional contexts, emerging adults, like adolescents, are more likely to have issues with self-control and decision-making. A 2016 study by Dr. Alexandra Cohen and colleagues compared the cognitive control, including decision-making and impulse control, of three age groups (age 13 – 17, age 18 – 21, and age 22 – 25) during emotionally-arousing and non-arousing conditions. Relative to adults, both teens and emerging adults demonstrated diminished cognitive performance when presented with negative cues (i.e. images of fearful faces). However, emerging adults did not differ from adults in the non-arousing condition. This suggests that the cognitive control of emerging adults is vulnerable to negative emotional influences and marked by continued development of the prefrontal circuitry. So, in emotional situations, that is situations that require quick-decision-making, or “hot cognition,” emerging adults may perform poorly when compared to adults. By way of contrast, in non-emotional situations that allow for thoughtful, deliberate decision-making, emerging adults may perform similarly to adults.

Emerging adults, like adolescents, are more likely to engage in risk-taking behavior when surrounded by peers. Studies support the idea that emerging adults are prone to taking greater risks when in a group of same-aged peers. A 2005 study by Dr. Margo Gardner and Laurence Steinberg looked at 306 individuals in three age groups: adolescents (13 – 16), youths (18 – 22), and adults (24 and older), to assess the effect of peer influence on risk-taking behavior. The study found that while the whole sample engaged in more risk-taking and risky decision-making, middle and late adolescents (from 13 to 22 years old) were more susceptible to this peer influence in comparison with adults 24 and older. In one case identified by DPI, five youth were sentenced to death in Texas for a group rape/murder of two teenage girls as part of a gang initiation. Peter Cantu, Jose Medellin, and Sean Derrick O’Brien were all 18 at the time of the crime and all three were executed. The two remaining members of the group, Raul Villareal and Efrain Perez, had their sentences commuted because they were underage.

Sources

Cohen, A. O., Breiner, K., Steinberg, L., Bonnie, R. J., Scott, E. S., Taylor-Thompson, K., Rudolph, M. D., Chein, J., Richeson, J. A., Heller, A. S., Silverman, M. R., Dellarco, D. V., Fair, D. A., Galván, A., & Casey, B. J. (2016). When Is an Adolescent an Adult? Assessing Cognitive Control in Emotional and Nonemotional Contexts. Psychological Science, 27(4), 549 – 562. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797615627625

Gardner, M., & Steinberg, L. (2005). Peer Influence on Risk Taking, Risk Preference, and Risky Decision Making in Adolescence and Adulthood: An Experimental Study. Developmental Psychology, 41(4), 625 – 635. https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2F0012-1649.41.4.625

Harden, K. P., & Tucker-Drob, E. M. (2011). Individual differences in the development of sensation seeking and impulsivity during adolescence: Further evidence for a dual systems model. Developmental Psychology, 47(3), 739 – 746. https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fa0023279

https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/news/articles-of-interest-what-experts-are-saying-about-emerging-adult-behavioral-development-since-roper-v-simmons

 

(Source: DPIC, 13/03/2025)

VIETNAM: 9 SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR SMUGGLING 91 KG OF DRUGS FROM CAMBODIA
SRI LANKA: MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR KILLING WOMAN, HIDING BODY IN TRAVEL BAG
PAKISTAN: CHRISTIAN IS SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR BLASPHEMY IN AFTER 'DESECRATING THE KORAN'
IRAN - Rostam Zeinaldini and Abdolsamad Shahbazi executed in Zahedan on April 26
IRAN - Qader Samimi executed in Nishapur on April 26
USA - Louisiana. Jimmie Duncan’s conviction overturned
INDIA: SC COMMUTES DEATH SENTENCE OF KERALA MAN WHO KILLED WIFE, 4 CHILDREN IN 2008
USA - Alabama. James Osgood, 55, White, was executed on April 24
IRAN - At Least 5 Prisoners Executed in Karaj (Ghezel Hesar) on April 23
IRAN - Akbar Shekhi executed in Hamedan on April 23
IRAN - Mehran Zolfi and Asghar Nourinia executed in Tabriz on April 23
CHINA GIVES SUSPENDED DEATH SENTENCE TO FORMER XINJIANG OFFICIAL FOR CORRUPTION
USA - Texas. Moises Mendoza, 41, Hispanic, was executed on April 23
IRAN - Reza Tabarteh Farahani executed in Arak on April 22
IRAN - Vahid Narouei (Narui) and Yaroli Mahmoudvand executed in Yazd on April 22
BANGLADESH: MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR RAPING DAUGHTER IN CHUADANGA
CHINA: MAN WHO STABBED JAPANESE CHILD TO DEATH EXECUTED
IRAN - Rashid Seyedzadeh executed in Yazd on April 22
IRAN - Saeed Darikvand executed in Khorramabad on April 21
IRAN - Mehdi Fathollahpour executed in Rasht on April 21
IRAN - Ali Morad Kakayi executed in Gonabad on April 21
IRAN - Sajad (Sajjad) Emkani executed in Malayer on April 21
IRAN - Behnam Bargpush and Mohammad Ahmadzadeh executed in Yasuj on April 21
IRAN Mahan Heydari (Heidari) executed in Ahvaz on April 21
PAKISTAN: MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR MURDER OF US NATIONAL EX-WIFE
IRAN - Hossein Bahari executed in Gorgan on April 20
IRAN - Sadollah Gorgij executed in Zahedan on April 20
IRAN - Javad Goudarzi executed in Dorud on April 20
IRAN - Hamid Hosseinnejad Secretly Hanged
USA - Texas. Xavier Davis, 32, Black, sentenced to death

1 2 3 4 [Succ >>]
2025
january
february
march
april
  2024
january
february
march
april
may
june
july
august
september
october
november
december
  2023
january
february
march
april
may
june
july
august
september
october
november
december
  2022
january
february
march
april
may
june
july
august
september
october
november
december
  2021
january
february
march
april
may
june
july
august
september
october
november
december
 
2020
january
february
march
april
may
june
july
august
september
october
november
december
  2019
january
february
march
april
may
june
july
august
september
october
november
december
  2018
january
february
march
april
may
june
july
august
september
october
november
december
  2017
january
february
march
april
may
june
july
august
september
october
november
december
  2016
january
february
march
april
may
june
july
august
september
october
november
december
  2015
january
february
march
april
may
june
july
august
september
october
november
december
 
2014
january
february
march
april
may
june
july
august
september
october
november
december
  2013
january
february
march
april
may
june
july
august
september
october
november
december
  2012
january
february
march
april
may
june
july
august
september
october
november
december
  2011
january
february
march
april
may
june
july
august
september
october
november
december
  2010
january
february
march
april
may
june
july
august
september
october
november
december
  2009
january
february
march
april
may
june
july
august
september
october
november
december
 
2008
january
february
march
april
may
june
july
august
september
october
november
december
  2007
january
february
march
april
may
june
july
august
september
october
november
december
  2006
january
february
march
april
may
june
july
august
september
october
november
december
  2005
january
february
march
april
may
june
july
august
september
october
november
december
  2004
january
february
march
april
may
june
july
august
september
october
november
december
 
IRAN - Wife of Djalali pleads for EU action
  IRAN - Hands off Cain Year End Report: At least 284 executions in 2020  
  IRAN: HANDS OFF CAIN, THE HANGING OF THE PROTESTER MOSTAFA SALEHI IS A SHAME FOR THE SO-CALLED DEMOCRATIC WORLD   
  USA: ‘BLACK LIVES MATTER’, BUT IS IT ONLY RACISM?  
  IRAN. HANDS OFF CAIN, REDUCTION OF DRUG EXECUTIONS BUT NUMBERS REMAIN WORRISOME  
  HUMAN RIGHTS: DEMONSTRATION OF THE RADICAL PARTY BEFORE IRANIAN EMBASSY 14 FEBRUARY  
news
-
latest actions
-
data base
-
actions
-
who we are
-
registered users
-
credits