When we are responsible?

In Chile, many people can answer that we are responsible when we are 18 years old, and according the Law, 16 and 14 years depending the case. Otherwise in England, the responsability according the law is 10 years! Its seems english people really are very severe. But, Alok Jha published a paper in The Guardian, about how neuroscience can change this conception about early liability, He claims that  parts of the brain responsible for decision-making and impulse control are still developing during a person's teens.

A number of psychologists have already shown that adolescents are not wholly responsible individuals and are inclined to take risks and behave in irresponsible ways, . What neuroscience has shown in the last 10 years is that this is at least associated with the fact that the brain continues to develop throughout adolescence. Then, the question is... Can we demand liability to who don,t yet development his brain? Maybe, this is like if we would demand  to little baby that he walk like a adolescent

Acordding the paper the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for decision-making, impulse control and cognitive control, is among the slowest parts of the brain to mature and is not fully developed until around the age of 20. Neuroscience adds to the evidence that a 10 or 12 or 15-year-old does not have a fully adult brain in many important respects.  Also, I learn in my carrer, especifically in my subjects; Neuroscience, Neurophysiology, Psychopathology and Development, that drugs cause cognitive development delay and many brains problems. 

But, drugs are not the only reason, research has also shown that there is huge variation between individuals and that the development of the slowest-developing parts of the brain is associated with comparable changes in mental functions such as IQ, suggestibility, impulsivity, memory and decision-making. If the variation is normal, can we think that  exist a only age of responsability?

It is clear that at the age of 10 the brain is developmentally immature, and continues to undergo important changes linked to regulating one's own behaviour," said the report. "There is concern among some professionals in this field that the age of criminal responsibility in the UK is unreasonably low, and the evidence of individual differences suggests that an arbitrary cut-off age may not be justifiable."

The paper finishes with a thought. The royal society says that it is necessary  an international meeting of neuroscientists and lawyers every three years to discuss the latest advances. It is necessary because is so relevant to update the knowledge about the human behavior and they lawyers can write better laws.

Link  to original paper: http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/dec/13/age-criminal-responsibility-brain-scientists